A wishing tree in the lobby of Wagamama on Dublin’s South King Street last weekend was festooned with the scribbled dreams of diners, with many of the mostly childish scrawls praying for new puppies.
Fast forward four days and the wishing tree was bare, while the glass doors into the basement restaurant that had served Dublin with an eclectic mix of Japanese dishes for more than a quarter of a century were locked ahead the traditional lunchtime rush.
Would-be diners were met instead with a note reading simply: “Dear Customer. We are temporarily closed. We appreciate your co-operation. Thanks. Wagamama Ireland.”
The word temporarily suggests it may be reopening soon, but it’s unlikely to be as Wagamama, after it and branches in Dundrum and Blanchardstown closed when receivers appointed to the Press Up Hospitality group failed to reach agreement with the UK-based chain on restructuring the franchise arrangement.
More than 100 employees have been impacted, and while Press Up has done a deal with its landlords to keep the South King Street and Blanchardstown sites open with new offerings ready to serve in the weeks ahead, no similar deal was reached for the Dundrum lease.
The closure will come as a shock to many who have visited the restaurant since it arrived in Dublin in the late 1990s.
Wagamama first opened in London’s Bloomsbury in 1992 with the Japanese philosophy of “kaizen” or “good change” at its core. It quickly became famous for long queues, decent food and no-nonsense staff who got people in and out fast. It also dispensed with the notion of starters, mains and desserts, and dishes arrived when they were ready.
The fast but good food formula worked in Dublin too, and as late as last weekend queues were forming outside with diners happy to wait for tables, suggesting the appetite for what Wagamama was offering remained strong.
John and Eve Miceli undoubtedly had that appetite.
The Americans had arrived in Ireland on Monday, and before then were on a two-week UK tour with the late Meat Loaf’s still-touring band – he’s the drummer, while she’s in charge of the merch.
They’d eaten in Wagamama daily since arriving on this side of the Atlantic, and were hoping for one last meal before flying home, but while they might well have done anything for lunch, they weren’t doing that.
“We were supposed to play some concerts in Ireland but they got cancelled,” he told The Irish Times. The band, The Neverland Express, were due to play a Celebrating Meat Loaf concert at Vicar Street on Thursday with Caleb Johnson on lead vocals.
“We were the only ones who stayed on, but the whole band love Wagamama. Our plan was to tease the rest of them by sending pictures of us eating here one last time. We’re leaving today and were coming for our last meal. We walked around until midday waiting for it to open.”
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