After finding success with a ramen restaurant in Whitby, Ippon Ramen has expanded to a second location in Newmarket.
The new restaurant in the plaza at 130 Davis Dr. and has been enjoying a slow start since it opened at the end of February, which co-owner and manager Jacqueline He says has helped her settle in.
“It’s kind of better for us because I’m new to managing a restaurant. I just was a waitress for 10 years,” she said.
While He is new to management, she is not new to ramen. This is Ippon Ramen’s second location but there was another restaurant in Richmond Hill called Yokohama Ramen that started it all.
“The owner, who is our uncle, he was in Japan over 20 years and he learned how to make ramen from the Japanese and he taught us,” she said.
Ramen is a bone broth based soup and noodle dish. At Ippon Ramen, customers can choose from beef, veggie, chicken, or different seafood flavours. The menu also includes appetizers, tempura, and build your own ramen options.
When it came time to expand to a second spot, Richmond Hill was ruled out as He didn’t want to compete with that restaurant. She said Markham, where she lives, was also considered but ruled out because there are already a number of restaurants there.
Then there was Newmarket. He said there weren’t a lot of similar restaurants around and she also had a connection to the town.
“I love Newmarket. My brother was working in the Mandarin buffet 15 years ago, so he has family and friends living here,” she said.
Originally the plan was to open in 2021 but waiting on building permits and then renovation delays bumped back the opening date.
“We planned to open before Christmas but so many things just stuck,” He said.
Now they are up and running and have enjoyed a visit from Newmarket Mayor John Taylor and ward Councillor Bob Kwapis, who described the restaurant as a "must try."
“The mayor and I welcomed this new Japanese restaurant and were both impressed by the beautiful decor. We also had a chance to sample their delicious ramen and I must say that it was one of the best ones I ever had,” he said in a Facebook post.
The reception from the community as a whole has been great so far, He said.
“The customers around here are mostly local people. They’ve just been so nice,” she said.
She said she is hopeful that business will continue to pick up as the weather gets warmer.
