Go! Go! Curry, a fast-casual franchise concept specializing in authentic, professionally-made Japanese comfort food, announced that is has signed its first franchise development deal to bring Japanese comfort food to Houston.
Located at 9889 Bellaire Blvd., the first Houston store is slated to open in August 2018 and will be owned and operated by Daxin LLC.
“While Asian food is on the rise in the United States, Japanese comfort food is an untapped subgenre. Go! Go! Curry is the most active leader in the industry in the United States,” says Shishen Li, co-founder and –owner of Daxin LLC. “We are thrilled to bring the new curry craze to the Houston community before it becomes a saturated market like the ramen or sushi trends before it. With Go! Go! Curry’s unique product offering and excellent customer service we have no doubt that Houstonites will fall in love with the brand, just as much as we have.”
Prior to teaming up with Go! Go! Curry, Li initially pursued a career in petroleum engineering following graduation from Texas Tech. Originally from Central China, Li and his family moved to Houston in 2000. In 2015, after a turbulent job market, Li and college friend Amanda, began their entrepreneurial journeys and opened a Boba tea concept. Inspired by their experience, the duo developed Daxin LLC and decided on Go! Go! Curry as their next venture.
Go! Go! Curry originates from Kanazawa-city, Ishikawa prefecture in Japan. The name stems from the Japanese pronunciation of five – “Go” – and is inspired by former Japanese-American baseball legend Hideki Matsui’s jersey number 55. Matsui is a native of Kanazawa and serves as the brand’s inspiration and hero.
The very first Go! Go! Curry America location opened near Times Square in 2007. Today, there are seven locations in the United States – six in New York and one in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
The thriving brand serves authentic Japanese comfort food in the form of traditional curry. The curry is made using Go! Go! Curry’s 55 process: 55 minutes to stew and 5.5 hours to mature. The dish is then served with black, thick curry sauce over Koshihikari rice, a premium short grain rice, with thinly shredded cabbage. With four sizes to choose from (small, medium, large, and extra-large), each meal can be customized with six different proteins, including pork, chicken, sausage, tofu, shrimp tempura or vegetables. Additionally, customers can select from five toppings; Rakkyo (sweet pickled shallots), broiled eggs, cheese, Fukuzinzuke (pickled radish), Natto (fermented soybeans).For those new to Japanese curry, Go! Go! Curry also offers suggested meals such as the Chicken Katsu Curry, the Original Go! Go! Curry, the Home Run, the Grand Slam and the World Champion Curry.
“Comfort food is universal and has wide appeal, which is why Japanese comfort food has been successful in translating across cultures. In recent years, Ramen has taken the U.S. by storm, while curry rice, a cult favorite in Japan alongside Ramen, has remained under-the-radar. That said, it is only a matter of time before mainstream America catches onto the allure, and Go! Go! Curry is proud to be integral in its proliferation,” adds Tomoko Omori, president of Go! Go! Curry America.
According to Omori, Go! Go! Curry plans to be the premier provider of delicious fast Japanese comfort food with 55 locations across the United States and Canada by 2022. Eventually, the brand plans to open 555 stores in 55 countries.