The Client

Tonkotsu runs eleven restaurants across London alone, including one within the iconic Selfridges Store on Oxford Street, and another at Selfridges, Bullring in Birmingham, and more set to open. They are known for their claim:

‘If you don’t make your own noodles, you are just a soup shop.’

With a tagline like that, it is clear Tonkotsu take great pride in their work, which is certainly a determinant of their rapid growth. The menu features everything from their staple Tonkotsu Ramen; a pork-enriched broth with lardo and sea salt base, served with thin-cut homemade noodles topped with roast pork belly, to Katsu Curry. With a Hiyashi Ramen salad menu, plenty of fresh, crunchy side dishes and even a kids Okosama menu, plus beer, wine, sake and soft drinks, it’s clear there is something for everyone. Every dish is prepared with precision and flavour to deliver tasty, balanced and nutritious food.

Project Brief

We were recommended to the founder and MD of Tonkotsu, Ken Yamada by an existing client, Bloomsbury Leisure Group.

We were asked to provide easy-to-operate, premium quality zonal background music systems for several of the new Tonkotsu restaurants.

Following the success of the first project in Dean Street, Soho, Sound Division was retained to provide music systems for several of the Tonkotsu restaurant openings in the rollout of their new sites, from 2013 through to 2019:

• 63 Dean Street, Soho, London
• 382 Mare Street, Hackney, London
• 4 Canvey Street, Bankside, London
• 6 Arches Lane, Battersea Power Station, London
• Arch 334, 1a Dunston Steet, Haggerston, London
• Unit 1, Endeavour Square, International Quarter, Stratford, London

System Solution

We adopted a standard solution for the audio systems across the entire estate. This means that wherever possible we installed between four to six loudspeakers in the restaurant dining areas, opting for the compact Yamaha VSX5 or JBL Control 25s powered by a Cloud 46/120 4-zone mixer amplifier in the physically smaller sites.

For the larger restaurants we expanded our core system design, switching in the larger Yamaha VSX8s & JBL Control 8 speakers which both have 8” bass drivers providing a warmer more rounded sound, particularly to accommodate for the volume being increased during busier evening service times. These were powered by a simplified zoning/amplification solution using Cloud CX zoning mixers with Crown XLS amplifiers.

The Result

“We have been pleased to have played our part in the expansion of Tonkotsu restaurants. Installing sound systems in large-scale projects, such as Westfield, Stratford or Battersea Power Station required us to work very closely with main contractors operating to very strict schedules. Our experience in this area allows us to deliver projects on time and to specification and budget”, comments David Graham, Director, Sound Division.

• All images: Tonkotsu, Stratford