Wagamama to re-open Rushden Lakes restaurant today

Ramen fans will be able to get their fix at Rushden Lakes again from today after wagamama announced it is re-opening to dine-in customers.

The popular chain has confirmed it will re-open 67 sites using sliding screens to keep diners safe during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The screens, inspired by Japanese partition designs, sit on tiny rollers and can be moved up and down the full length of the long benches to separate parties of guests from one another.

The Rushden Lakes restaurant is on the chain's 'Wave One' list of those re-opening today (Monday).

By the end of August there will be 138 wagamama restaurants open and all will participate in the ‘Eat Out to Help Out’ scheme.

Other measures the restaurant is taking to ensure guests stay safe the wagamama way include social distancing queueing, disposable menus on placemats, front of house team members in face visors and the restaurants will also be cashless, providing a pay on phone mechanic at the end of the meal which minimises staff contact and adheres to the government’s request of taking the name and phone number of at least one person in the group visiting the restaurant.

Design director Mark Standing said: “Sliding screens (shoji) are at the very heart of the Japanese architectural aesthetic. They have been used for hundreds of years to divide spaces in buildings and rooms. I took my inspiration for the design of screen dividers for our long sharing tables and benches from this tradition."

Chief executive officer Emma Woods said: “The main question we have been working on as a team is how can our guests feel safe but still have a communal wagamama experience, sitting on our benches. The team have applied our philosophy of kaizen - good change - to this challenge and I am delighted we have found a design solution which provides social distancing for our guests in a way which is true to the design ethos of the brand.”