Udon billionaire bets that thick noodles will win over Americans

Takaya Awata went from a college dropout to a billionaire selling bowls of chewy udon noodles across Japan. Now, he’s betting the humble dish can become a global fast-food category alongside burgers, chicken and pizza, with the U.S. at the center of Toridoll Holdings’ overseas ambitions.

“We want udon to become one of those major global categories,” Awata, 64, said in an interview at Toridoll’s headquarters in Tokyo. The founder and chief executive officer wants Toridoll, with almost ¥280 billion ($1.8 billion) in annual revenue, to join the trillion-yen ranks of the world’s largest fast-food chains, primarily by growing its flagship Marugame Udon brand.

The challenge is scaling up the business and finding a way to win over consumers unfamiliar with a staple of no-frills Japanese cuisine. Unlike the better-known, thinner and yellowish ramen noodles typically served up in a seasoned bouillon, udon are thick, chewy white noodles that swim in a much simpler broth.