Harajuku Tokyo Café Raises $2 Million Seed Funding for Indian Expansion

Harajuku Tokyo Café, a Japanese-inspired casual dining and quick-service restaurant chain founded in 2021 by Gaurav Kanwar, has raised $2 million (Rs 19 crore) in its first institutional seed funding round led by Indian Angel Network and Samved VC, with participation from LetsVenture and Capitar Ventures. The funding will support the brand's aggressive expansion plans to scale from seven outlets in Delhi NCR and Mumbai to 90 outlets across 20 Indian cities by 2027, targeting over Rs 200 crore in revenue. The brand, known for its authentic Japanese flavors combined with Instagram-worthy aesthetics and a fast-service model backed by a central kitchen, has reported annual recurring revenue exceeding Rs 30 crore. Following a successful Mumbai launch at Jio World Drive, which includes a unique dual-concept café and bakehouse, Harajuku is also exploring diversification into packaged foods with its D2C brand KoiKoi Essentials. The company aims to democratize Japanese cuisine in India by blending casual dining with QSR efficiency, catering to young customers and families amid growing demand for Japanese food in urban markets. Letters of intent for new locations have already been signed in multiple cities including Delhi NCR, Mumbai, Ludhiana, and Chandigarh, signaling strong investor and market confidence in the brand's scalable business model.