Despite Winter Storms, Ramen Shop Enjoys Successful Opening

Hokkaido Ramen Santouka, a new ramen restaurant at 1 Bow St., has received much fanfare since opening last week despite record-setting snowfall. At times, the wait has reached two hours long, with lines stretching out the door as customers wait for a table at Harvard Square’s newest restaurant.

“There has been a lot of buzz despite the weather,” said Denise A. Jillson, executive director of the Harvard Square Business Association. “This has been a really exciting and successful opening.”

The restaurant opened to the public on Feb. 11 in the face of blizzard conditions experienced earlier that week.

Customers enjoy freshly prepared ramen on a cold Tuesday evening. Santouka has experienced a rush of excited new customers who want to try out the newest eatery in Harvard Square. By Michelle M. Ng

Nao White, a business consultant for Santouka, said that over 700 bowls of ramen are being served each day. In order to keep up with demand, the restaurant has made use of a new waitlist service, TapGuest, that allows customers to wait where they choose until they are summoned for their table via a text message.

“We have 59 seats and try to serve as many people as possible, so using TapGuest is helping us a lot,” White said. “We don’t want customers to waste their time waiting outside.”

The menu is currently limited to four ramen dishes and two special noodle dishes but is slated to expand in early March, according to White. White added that the restaurant has decided to limit the menu to ensure that customers are first introduced to Santouka’s most signature dishes. The full menu will feature rice bowls that are meant to be ordered in combination with a ramen dish.

Chefs prepare fresh ramen for waiting customers. Santouka opened its first Massachusetts restaurant in Harvard Square last week. By Michelle M. Ng

In order to make the ramen using traditional Japanese methods, the staff is required to undergo lengthy training. White said the staff has been trained during the last month in preparation for the restaurant’s opening and will soon learn the new dishes for the spring menu expansion.

Hokkaido Ramen Santouka is an international franchise; the new Harvard Square location is the 60th location worldwide, White said. However, the Bow St. location is only their second stand-alone restaurant in the United States.

According to White, Santouka has signed a 10-year initial lease agreement for the Bow St. location.

—Staff writer Samuel Vasquez can be reached at samuel.vasquez@thecrimson.com. Follow him on Twitter @svasquez14.