Chicago targeted by an Asian food brand for international expansion
Chicagoans are given more fresh choices of Japanese food beyond sushi or ramen. This time it is bento on the go. Morikawa Bento is the newcomer to the local food scene offering consumers bentos and other Japanese sides freshly made to order on delivery platforms of DoorDash, Uber Eats and Grubhub. Customers can also order for pick up at Avondale’s Food Pick Up where its kitchen is located.
Chicago is Morikawa’s first overseas operations outside of its home base in Hong Kong where the bento brand was established ten years ago, on the belief that food on the go could be as delicious as it’s beautiful. Its menu aims to re-create a balanced meal in a box featuring some famous Japanese dishes such as Tonkatsu (deep fried pork cutlet), Karaage (deep fried chicken cutlet), Sukiyaki (hotpot beef), Tara Saikyoyaki (miso cod fish), Curry Omu, to name a few. The food brand also offers sides that are inspired by popular street food in Japan, as well as a small plant-based menu to serve the vegetarian population in the city.
“We are excited about our new operations as we believe Chicago has most of the potentials that an international city has to offer - a vibrant and multi-cultural population with good international exposure, strong consumption power as well as a discerning taste for quality lifestyle. It is a great location for international brands to try out their concepts in the US market”, said Owen Kong, head of the Chicago operations of Morikawa Bento
“Bento is becoming a big food trend globally as the setting of food in a bento box usually follows a 4:3:2:1 rule of carb, protein, vegetable and Japanese pickles, making it easy for city dwellers to pursue a balanced eating habit. It is an art form for the busiest of people”, he continued.
“We want to change the general perception that bento is food on the shelf. It could be delicious as it’s beautiful. We devote time and effort to train our cooking crew to deliver freshly made to order bentos everyday. At the same time, we also aim to replicate our success story in Hong Kong that bento is a good catering option to consider for corporate events, meetings , parties or other functions. As a matter of fact, business from corporate clients takes up a higher percentage of the operations in Hong Kong, and we believe Chicago has a big potential for corporate catering. ” Added Kong.
Morikawa Bento adopted a central kitchen business model for its first US operations to take advantage of the easy setup procedures, quick turnaround time, competitive cost structure, and the exponential growth in traffic volume of third party delivery platforms in the past years during the Pandemics. Most analysts forecast this trend of ordering online will continue as working from home has become the New Normal.
Besides its business goal, the company also plans to continue its CSR commitments here in the US. In Hong Kong, one of the distributor outlets is set up in partnership with a non-profit organization offering work opportunities for people with autism and other disabilities.
Morikawa Bento opened its operations in Chicago in February 2023 to serve the city of Chicago from its kitchen at Avondale’s Food Pick Up. The Avondale kitchen is the food brand’s first step to expand internationally. Morikawa Bento established in Hong Kong in 2013 as one of the first large scale operators offering quality Japanese bento delivery service to serve the higher end working population of the city. Morikawa Bento was rated as the number one bento takeout brand in Hong Kong by some local food magazines.
For further information or interviews, please contact:Liliana Ng
Marketing Partner
Whatsapp: (852)91089017
liliana.n@veasible.comOwen Kong
Head of Morikawa Bento - USA
1(917) 5877701
owen.k@veasible.comVisit our website and social media pagesWebsite: https://www.morikawabento.com/Facebook: morikawabentoInstagram: morikawabento