Subway, TGI Fridays Japan partner Watami aims to go private under founder

Business deals Subway, TGI Fridays Japan partner Watami aims to go private under founder Restaurant group eyes pivot to broader strategy after management buyout Watami founder Miki Watanabe's asset management firm will seek full ownership of the restaurant group. (Source photos by Nikkei) Nikkei staff writers November 13, 2026 00:00 JST Updated on November 13, 2026 00:33 JST TOKYO -- Japanese restaurant group Watami seeks to go private in a management buyout, with Chairman and CEO Miki Watanabe's asset management company planning a tender offer soon, Nikkei learned Thursday. Read Next Food & Beverage China bubble tea chain Mixue shuts more stores as growth model falters Food & Beverage Oriental Kopi founder wants to put Malaysia on the menu Food & Beverage McDonald's wages war on KFC in Japan as consumers crave chicken Food & Beverage Sushiro bets on affordable sushi as Japan restaurant chains expand in US Food & Beverage Yakitori chicken from Japan takes a stab at the Philippines, the land of Jollibee Big in Asia Japan's new whisky breed chases export elixir Food & Beverage Japan faces record izakaya bankruptcies, signaling change of drink culture Latest on Business deals Business deals Japan's Mitsui Chemicals to buy chip materials maker JSR for $11.6bn Business deals Japan's ANA and Vietnam Airlines to launch revenue-sharing pact Business deals China blocks SoftBank's $5.4bn deal for ABB robotics division Sponsored Content About Sponsored Content This content was commissioned by Nikkei's Global Business Bureau.