'Ramen is being commoditized, commercialized': John Concepcion on pushing for a ramen bar concept

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MANILA, Philippines — After over a decade of Japanese restaurant Ippudo being present in the Philippines, entrepreneur John Concepcion decided it was time to head in a different direction — a ramen-forward one.

Concepcion's Standard Hospitality Group (SHG) collaborated with Ippudo under Chikaranomoto Holdings to revamp the restaurant's Uptown Mall branch into a ramen bar.

The space features a whole new warm interior and its original ramen menu with some exclusive Japanese dishes.

In an exclusive interview with Philstar.com, Concepcion said the idea of Ippudo Ramen Bar was a year-and-a-half in the making.

Concepcion added there was a practical decision in choosing the nine-year-old Uptown Mall branch as a starting point rather than Ippudo's first-ever Philippine branch in SM Megamall.

"We wanted to fix the place up, so rather than just doing the same thing all over again we said, 'Let's give it a different spin'," Concepcion said.

Related: Ippudo reopens Uptown branch as 1st Ramen Bar

Many of the new items are taken from another of SHG's brands Kiwami, but Concepcion also wanted the fusion to be ramen-forward.

For example, the two exclusive ramen bowls of Ippudo Ramen Bar are both chicken-based: the Grilled Chicken Kuro Ramen and the White Chicken Yuzu Ramen.

"I wanted a ramen that has bigger protein, rather than char siu. What if I put grilled chicken on top there, create a dish around that?" the entrepreneur shared.

From there, more exclusive dishes emerged like Sashimi, Sushi, Baos, Yakitori, and cold plates,"It's just coming up with dishes that complement ramen that have a very bold taste and flavor."

While the direction is ramen-forward, Concepcion said the new dishes and the space as a whole are designed the way they are as he acknowledged there are non-ramen eaters, so having the likes of Tempura and Yakitori are ways of introducing customers to ramen.

Related: John Concepcion recalls expanding Selecta into ‘market leader’ from ‘small, backyard’ business

Commoditized

Concepcion expounded on something he said in a speech during the restaurant's launch that ramen is being commoditized and commercialized.

He pointed out a decade ago Filipinos weren't as accustomed to Japanese cuisine, instead opting to travel to Hong Kong.

"When Filipinos discovered Japan, then you had all sorts of global brands coming here," Concepcion continued. "And on top of the global brands, you had Ippudo-wannabes copying the name for half the price."

"You have it all over the place, right? So that's in a way being commoditized. It's being cheap... and the market is getting saturated. I felt that it's time to just take it to the next level, and I think it should be this," Concepcion gestured to the packed Ippudo Ramen Bar.

The entrepreneur said the possibility of opening more ramen bars would depend on the progress of the Uptown Mall branch, but he appeared hopeful.

"You know, we'll see right away if the concept works or not. That's the beauty about this industry, people will tell you whether they like it or not right away," Concepcion ended. "So I think in six months, you will see right away if it's a concept that is going to stick or not."

RELATED: Built to last: Michael Concepcion on designing Ippudo Ramen Bar

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