Renowned Miso Ramen Brand Manbaken Transitions to Garden Co., Ltd.

Transition of Manbaken

After over 30 years of success, the popular miso ramen brand Manbaken has announced a significant transition. Starting November 1, 2025, operation of the brand will be taken over by Garden Co., Ltd., a company renowned for running various popular food concepts in the metropolitan area. This strategic move is expected to enhance Manbaken's growth and expand its brand presence across the region.

Background and Purpose of the Business Transfer

Under the guiding principle of making today's environment HAPPY, Garden Co., Ltd. is focused on leveraging M&A processes aimed at revitalizing dining experiences. The company manages a diverse range of restaurants including ramen, sushi, and Hawaiian cuisine. Currently, the ramen sector represents about 70% of their revenue and number of locations, making it one of their core businesses.

The acquisition of Manbaken introduces a new genre, miso ramen, into Garden's portfolio, which previously lacked a brand in this segment. There’s a notable opportunity as no dominant miso ramen brand has established itself in key stations in the Tokyo Metropolitan area, indicating great potential for growth. Garden Co., Ltd. believes that their expertise in operational improvements and productivity enhancements will yield efficient restaurant management and increased profitability.

Garden's goal is to preserve the essence of Manbaken’s traditional flavors while incorporating their operational know-how for proactive expansion. They aim to have 30 locations and a revenue target of 3 billion yen in the medium term, striving to position themselves as the top miso ramen brand in station-adjacent locations within the Tokyo area.

Overview of the Business Transfer

- Acquired Company: Good Create Co., Ltd.
- Transfer Execution Date: October 31, 2025

About Garden Co., Ltd.

Established in December 2015, Garden Co., Ltd. operates with the mission of providing spaces that make people happy, energetic, and smiling. Since its inception, Garden has successfully revitalized and expanded over 12 companies through effective M&A strategies. The dining segment includes renowned brands like Yamashita Honki Udon and Ikakukiya, alongside various other dining formats, with a total of 200 outlets as of November 1, 2025. Garden aims to leverage synergies from their real estate ventures to pursue a location strategy focusing on prime spots near transport stations, further expanding their leading brands.