The source of the growth of the Toridoll Group is "human resources", and we want all of our staff to take ownership and achieve the joy of growth and self-fulfillment. Therefore, the Toridoll Group is developing and enhancing online manuals, video educational tools, and education and training systems that can be used at stores.
In addition, we have established various mechanisms such as regular one-on-one meetings with superiors to increase motivation to learn, and an internal recruitment system that allows employees to choose their own careers. In the future, we plan to systematically review our educational plans in line with changes in the social environment.
Materiality | 2024 KPI | Fiscal 2024 results |
|---|---|---|
Supporting the growth of each individual | ● Establishment of communication training to enhance happiness ● Maintaining the presence of certified noodle chefs in all stores ● Follow-up training for employees with noodle-making qualifications: 100% | ● Increased participation rate in communication training for store managers across the entire group. ● All stores maintained 100% of their capacity as of the end of February. ● Follow-up training (Chief Manager: 100%, Manager: 86.6%) |
Toridoll Group Growth Philosophy
The Toridoll Group has established a growth philosophy, the "Three Tops of Toridoll," as universal behaviors and ways of thinking that all employees should maintain, and uses them as criteria for personnel evaluations and hiring. The following three actions are shown in "Toridor 3 Peaks".
Based on this philosophy, we stipulate detailed roles for each job type and grade, and create a career sheet tailored to each individual employee, thereby managing not only short-term results but also progress toward long-term growth. .
1 To the top of "KANDO" | It doesn't all start with things, it's about creating moving experiences that make your instincts tremble. Customers are not collected. Create. It is the unique moving experience that creates customers and creates fans who come back again and again. Let's clash theory and sensibility and create an impression that will make you enter the store on impulse. |
|---|---|
2 Towards the top of the dichotomy | Question the trade-offs. Trade-on that goes beyond common sense is valuable. Don't run away from the easy correct answer, believe in the strength of irrationality and reach a balance between dichotomy. The road that no one goes is the shortest route to the prosperous store that everyone wants to go to. Difficulties become barriers to entry, resulting in unique markets and overwhelming advantages. |
3 Towards the summit of “admiration and mutual assistance” | We want to deliver wonderful moving experiences to our colleagues as well as our customers. Let's raise each other's strengths without creating walls in our hearts, always keep an eye on each other, praise each other for good work, and help each other in difficult times. Because the power humans possess is the growth strategy that keeps Toridoll strong. |
Various forms of support for the growth of each individual
For example, at Marugame Seimen, we are working to reduce the workload by improving the system so that store managers can focus on store operations, team care, and their own growth. This is achieved by having one employee manage multiple stores. We are also strengthening our cross-organizational structure by increasing the number of employees within the holding company who can also handle store support. In addition, to ensure sufficient staffing, we believe that promoting staff who have already worked for our group and have a deep understanding of our operations and industry can minimize the gap after hiring, and we are actively working on internal promotions. Furthermore, we are carefully creating opportunities to reaffirm and share our group's mission, vision, slogan, and growth philosophy.
We also offer various training programs that allow store managers to consider their own career paths and learn leadership skills. Some of the more unique training programs include the "Sanuki Training" held on Sanuki Hiroshima, an island off the coast of Marugame City, the "Happiness KANDO Camp" where participants camp and participate in workshops, and overseas experiential tours. Through these special experiential training programs, store managers themselves will have the opportunity to experience inspiring moments, gain ideas for new inspiring experiences, and take on the role of ambassadors who convey those inspiring moments when they return to their stores. If there are individuals with high potential within each business type, we will place them as management personnel across business types in a way that is optimal for the entire group, expanding their opportunities for success.
On the other hand, global talent is also a crucial topic. For example, when expanding our domestic business overseas, we need to accurately convey our successful model in Japan while adapting it to the local environment. In this context, discovering, developing, and deploying global-level talent who understand our domestic business and the needs and circumstances of overseas locations requires a long-term perspective. In the near future, improving local recruitment and training programs may be considered a challenge. We are also working to convey Toridoll's philosophy to our overseas employees and foster a sense of cultural unity.
One store, one store manager system (Marugame Seimen) | Training about Sanuki Udon | Happiness KANDO Camp | Overseas KANDO Experience Tour |
|---|---|---|---|
62% 528 stores completed (As of the end of January 2025) | 843 people participated Sanuki Hiroshima, an island in Marugame City I also participated in training there. 54 people | Approximately 200 people participated Held 8 times | 57 people participated Held twice |
Sharing the same feelings with friends all over the world
At Toridoll Group, we create opportunities for sharing and fostering empathy with our group's core values among our employees working at over 1,940 stores worldwide, by offering a variety of platforms with diverse content, scales, and target audiences.
Furthermore, based on the belief that the source of the joy of food lies in the happiness of our employees, we focused particularly on promoting and implementing the "Peak of Praise and Mutual Support" principle in fiscal year 2024.
The CEO shares inspiring stories with all employees at the "ALL KANDO CREATORS MEETING".
In 2022, the year we revamped our corporate slogan, the Toridoll Group held its first-ever all-employee meeting to directly share our vision for the future with all employees, and we have continued to hold these meetings in fiscal year 2026. As the largest-scale initiative to instill our philosophy, employees from all over the world gather together, and Awata directly conveys the thoughts behind our philosophy to all employees. We also hold panel discussions with the heads of various brands operating around the world to deepen participants' understanding of how to create value under the same philosophy across different countries and brands. Furthermore, we screen thank-you messages received from customers to the group, and celebrate instances where employees have delivered "感動" (deep emotional impact) to customers through proactive actions at our stores, thereby deepening employee understanding and encouraging further challenges. In addition, we contribute to improving employee engagement through various other events.
Celebrating together – KANDO CREATORS AWARD –
We hold an internal contest for Toridoll Group employees worldwide, collecting and recognizing projects and store stories that have created "KANDO." The grand prize winner is decided at the ALL KANDO CREATORS MEETING, which brings together over 2,000 employees from around the world. This award allows us to reaffirm our common mission, celebrate and inspire each other, and learn from one another, transcending business types, departments, and national borders.
"Awata Mirai Juku" - A meeting where the CEO shares inspiring stories with employees on the front lines.
In September 2023, we launched a management training program led by our CEO, Awata, who also serves as the head instructor (facilitator). Anyone can apply to participate in the Awata Future Training Program, and admission is determined by lottery from among the voluntary applicants.
Here, as a place to learn management philosophy, all participants bring their own inspiring success stories and explore the reasons behind them. It is a place to share success stories and convey a philosophy of growth. During this time, participants can sit down with the head of the academy, Awata, and have in-depth discussions about the "future" while sharing a meal together. As of January 2024, 85 employees had participated.
"EATING MEETING" - A meeting where the CEO shares inspiring stories with headquarters employees.
The EATING MEETING is an event where Awata shares a memorable experience with headquarters employees, explaining the company's history from its founding to the present day while enjoying dessert and lunch together. With a maximum of eight people per session, it provides a forum for Awata and employees to directly exchange opinions. For example, Awata passionately conveys that the "Toridoll 3 Peaks" are a philosophy that the company group has upheld since its founding, and that he wants everyone to continue to uphold it regardless of department or position, even as times change.
While headquarters departments don't have many direct points of contact with customers, this provides an opportunity for each employee to consider how their work contributes to creating memorable experiences in stores, allowing them to feel like they are all part of the KANDO CREATOR team. In fiscal year 2022, 48 sessions were held with approximately 200 participants.
"KANDO PEAK CAMP": CEOs share inspiring stories with executives.
All executives, including company presidents and subsidiary company presidents (approximately 100 people), gathered at the campsite and shared their experiences and feelings while surrounded by nature.
During our two-day, one-night camping trip, we invited Mr. Futoshi Yamai, CEO of Snow Peak Inc., a company that continuously creates new value, as a guest speaker to give a lecture.
Through activities such as BBQ, bonfires, and tent camping, we created opportunities to reaffirm the strengths of our group's business model in balancing two aspects, and to learn about each individual's values. We aimed to deepen the bonds among executives and their understanding of what makes a good impression through these extraordinary experiences.
Establishment of "Happy Can Promotion Department / Happy Can Planning Headquarters"
To further promote Happy Can, the Toridoll Group has established dedicated departments: the "Happy Can Promotion Department" at the holding company and the "Happy Can Planning Headquarters" at Marugame Seimen.
These two departments have been working together to strongly promote employee happiness by establishing the new "Happy Company Captain System" and "Family Cafeteria System" in fiscal year 2024.
- Happy Company Captain System
This new management system sets itself apart from traditional store managers, with the mission of driving a successful and thriving cycle within the store.
・Family cafeteria system
Employees with children in junior high school or younger can enjoy a welfare benefit where their children can eat at the store essentially for free.
Marugame City opens "Kokoro no Honten" in Sanuki Hiroshima
Since 2022, Toridoll Holdings has had a comprehensive partnership agreement with Marugame City, Kagawa Prefecture, to revitalize the region. Under the theme of "co-creation-type regional revitalization," we have been working closely with local residents on various activities in areas such as industry, tourism, arts and culture, and island development. Regarding island development, we have been particularly focused on initiatives such as relocating our employees to "Sanuki Hiroshima" and collecting marine plastics. In 2024, we opened "Kokoro no Honten," a training facility dedicated to pursuing the perfect bowl of udon noodles.
Furthermore, Marugame Seimen has implemented the "Noodle Craftsman System" as an internal qualification since 2016, and is training personnel with the knowledge and skills to make udon noodles. Currently, they certify one-star and two-star noodle craftsmen, but at the "Kokoro Main Store," they are aiming for even greater heights and will be training three-star noodle craftsmen.
Although it is not currently open to the public, it is intended to be used as a place for interaction with the islanders, and at the opening ceremony held on November 27, 2024, many islanders were treated to udon noodles made with a special dried sardine broth. At "Kokoro no Honten," which serves as a place for training noodle artisans and communicating with the people of Sanuki Hiroshima, we will promote the business so that many talents will flourish and the tradition of Sanuki udon will be passed on to the next generation.
Human Resource Requirements and Personnel Assessment Systems
The Toridoll Group as a whole has established a code of conduct, and its personnel system incorporates the extent to which that code of conduct is being implemented into 50% of the evaluation. For example, Marugame Seimen has set a "Marugame Mind" for each rank, and the degree to which the Marugame Mind is being demonstrated is evaluated every six months.
[Marugame Mind]
① Express gratitude to everyone: Don't take customers and colleagues for granted / Show gratitude through words and actions
② A smile that makes people want to see you again: • A natural and warm smile / Maintain a smile even when busy
③ Overly helpful and caring: Noticing and anticipating problems before they arise / A series of small acts of consideration.
④ Craftsmanship that elicits "Wow, amazing!": Pride in handmade products / Continuously refining skills
⑤ A comfortable and clean shop: Cleanliness and organization / A comfortable space for both customers and employees.
⑥ Even more fresh! A strong commitment to freshness / Pursuing the "value of delivery by human hands"
In-House Recruitment Systems
Toridoll Holdings has implemented an internal recruitment system that provides employees with opportunities to transfer to other departments based on their preferences, with the aim of fostering a culture of taking on challenges and improving employee motivation. This system supports employees' self-realization by understanding their aptitudes and providing them with careers that match their aspirations. The system allows for internal recruitment through the Human Resources Department by group companies and various departments at headquarters, and in fiscal year 2025, four employees utilized this system and transferred to their desired departments.
Efficient recruitment of human resources by recruitment center
At the Toridoll Group in Japan, the recruiting center at the head office centrally manages the recruitment of staff working at our stores, from recruiting to accepting applications. increase.
In addition, through one-stop recruitment using the system of the recruitment center, we will build a system for accepting applicants regardless of location or time, significantly reduce the burden on the site in store management, avoid risks such as information leakage, and implement the PDCA cycle in recruitment. Speeding up is possible.
[This page was last updated on 2026/06/23] The figures are for fiscal year 2024, but some of the initiatives include information from fiscal year 2025.
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