Always a fry day at Wagamama’s

14th October 2011, 12:26pm

Wagamama’s started out in London back in 1992.

Twenty-Eight years later and the company boasts 65 pan-Asian inspired noodle restaurants in the UK, with a further 30 across the world, all based on the philosophy to combine fresh and nutritional food in an elegant yet simple setting.

Such an operation requires equipment built to withstand a 14 hour service, so when it came to upgrading the fryers, Wagamama's Group Executive Chef, Steve Mangleshot, called in specialist equipment distributors, CRIS.

Steve explains: "We wanted to purchase the best kit on the market at a price we could afford. We put a number of brands through their paces before narrowing the choice down to two brands."

With a quarter of the Wagamama's menu reliant on the fryer, the decision had to be right, but in the end two key factors came into play: "There was a significant difference in the technology between the two brands and in the end the benefits of the Frymaster open tank became very clear. It is far easier to clean, has no tubes and has a much greater efficiency."

Ultimately it was an easy decision for Steve and he installed double suited Frymasters in all restaurants. Cooking a variety of items, including prawns, dumplings, vegetables and chicken, the fryers are responsible for some of Wagamama's most popular dishes, including the famous Chicken Katsu Curry which sells over 32,000 portions a week.

Another benefit of the fryers is the filter, which Steve believes is already helping the longevity of the oil: "We have always purchased filtered fryers and have achieved a noticeable reduction in the amount of oil required and a better quality end product across the group. This obviously adds to the environmental benefits that the fryer brings."