Ten years from now, Copenhagen-based Noahs believes that half of restaurants will disappear due to their inability to keep up with rising costs, forcing the large conglomerates who do survive to sacrifice on quality. But perhaps there is a way to preserve food culture through efficient “smart kitchens” that are able to produce multiple brands, tapping not only into the demand from online marketplaces but also direct in-store sales from foot traffic. The latter model is the “ark” that Noahs has built to weather the storm over the past three years. By tapping into an asset-light franchise model that is tailored to supermarkets, railway stations, gas stations, universities, offices, and more, Noahs is able to transform their underutilized spaces into high quality foodservice options for the modern era. The company, which originated from sandwich chain Lucky 13 in Thailand, owns culinary brand IP, technology, and infrastructure that is franchised out to partners who operate the locations.

“Wonder is trying to run it all in one ecosystem– we’re getting out of that whole thing and giving it to conglomerates to run themselves,” said Noahs Global Director (aka “Wake Surfer”) Daniel Baven in an interview with HNGRY. “We are asking– what ‘does the market need,’ not ‘what do we want to give the market?’”