In the UK at the moment, wagamama can’t do what it wants to do – nourish people. It has hired creative studio, Uncommon, as its creative partner, though, to keep its spirit alive. Uncommon was awarded the business without a pitch and will be working with the brand on a project basis on brand activation and fame-driving briefs over the coming months as the hospitality industry begins to open-up.

Uncommon’s first project focuses on a trademark feature of the restaurant. wagamama’s benches have aided conversation and connected people since the chain opened its doors in 1992. So, while UK diners are not yet allowed to meet their loved ones on the famous benches in the restaurants, wagamama has brought the benches to them, adding a special feature to highlight its mission.

The new benches are inspired by Kintsugi, a Japanese art of repairing broken pottery by mending the cracks with gold lacquer.

Natalie Graeme, co-founder at Uncommon, explained, “wagamama is loved by many. Nourishing the nation from bowl to soul for over 25 years, it has an incredibly powerful place to play in the category, especially as the hospitality sector emerges from lockdown. The ‘kaizen’ philosophy that sits at the heart of all it does speaks directly to how we see the role brands can play in the world. We’re looking forward to working together and help bring even more of this energy to bear on projects.”

Since the government allows two people to meet, socially distanced, on a bench, wagamama placed its Japanese benches in key university cities, Brighton, Bristol and Manchester, serving up free cups of fresh green tea and encouraging people to take a moment to sit at the bench and open up with one another about how they are really feeling. The pandemic has increased mental health struggles, especially for young people, so wagamama wants to shine a light on the challenges that many young people are going to face coming out of lockdown. The chain worked with its charity partner, Young Minds, and mental health campaigner, Ben West, on the project.

Emma Woods, chief executive officer at wagamama, stated, “We can’t nourish young people in our restaurants at the moment but we do want to support them coping with the pressure to put their game face on and ‘party’, as soon as lockdown eases.

“We know from our work with Young Minds that a lot of them have really struggled over the last few months in particular and are feeling low. Talking with friends about your anxieties is the simple advice Young Minds and Ben West are encouraging. We’re really excited to be working with Uncommon on projects like this — with more to come.”