Ohawkamuy

Ohawkamuy (Kannaguru: おは う かむ い Ohawkamuy, Shirakawan: おはうかむい Wofaukamui) is a Chiseian multinational restaurant chain, founded in Saramosir in 1978. It specialises in. In 2016 the company was acquired by Satsu Foods, a subsidiary of the Satsu Group. In 2018 Ohawkamuy became the second largest Saramosiri restaurant chain after its main rival, Harukor.

The chain is marketed as Nabekamui (鍋神威) in Yamatai and Dai Hoa.

Name
Ohawkamuy literally translates to 'Ohaw God'. However the word kamuy is also used in Kannaguru as an honorific suffix, equivalent to 'great' or 'famous', which can be implied to people, objects, or indeed food.

History
According to the official history of the company, Ohawkamuy was founded in 1978 by Cekorhur un Rataskur, a railway employee in Notsam, Kitay province. After impressing his coworkers at a New Years party with homemade fish ohaw, Rataskur decided to open a temporary street stall outside Notsam Central Station. He cooked the soup out in the open, and allowed customers to request toppings and ingredients for the broth. He soon saw unprecedented success with this supposed side business, and soon quit his job to open a brick-and-mortar restaurant. By 1982 the chain was a smash hit across Saramosir, with 28 branches across the south-west, and it soon spread to the mainland, with the first branch opening in Eito in 1984. A key factor in the chain's early success was the element of customisability and Ohawkamuy's unique image next to most Chiseian fast-food chains. Whereas many Chiseian restaurants in the mid-80s focused on either a traditional, rustic aesthetic or a colourful, family-focused image, Ohawkamuy's restaurants featured contemporary urban decor and fostered a more laid-back atmosphere akin to a diner or coffee shop.

In 1992 Ohawkamuy opened its first overseas restaurant in Juruhoton, West Kuiju. Since then it has rapidly expanded into a variety of global markets while also consolidating its position in Chisei, with hundreds of stores established across Western and Southern Escar. The first Zusian, Hyspania and Redonian branches opened in 2009.

Ohawkamuy was the first Chiseian restaurant franchise to open branches in Jyugoku, with a branch opening in Kotojinso in 2010, but shutting down a year later as a result of the 2011 coup d'etat. Branches were subsequently established in Rhodanthian (2016) and the Yaoso Republic (2018). In January 2021 it was announced that Ohawkamuy would soon enter the Valeyan market, with 12 restaurants opening up in Gyunghwa and a further 1 in Anglia.

In Yamatai
The first Ohawkamuy opened in Yamatai in 2001, during the height of the 'Rice Bowl War' between Ichibanya and Bao Hwangje. Though not focused on beef or rice bowls, as a major foreign chain entering the scene the franchise was initially boycotted by some Yamataians. However the decline of Bao Hwangje in the Yamataian market ultimately worked to Ohawkamuy's advantage, as it filled the niche left by the closures of certain BH stores.

In 2007 a Ohawkamuy restaurant in Heian burnt down under mysterious circumstances, though no injuries were reported. Online rumours laid the blame on Yamataian venting anti-Saramosiri sentiment after local team ShiMusha Heian was beat in the OOF Yashiman Cup by Saramosiri team Inaopira Tunakay. Two suspects were arrested but swiftly released.

Ohawkamuy's Yamataian division trades under the name 'Nabekamui', and has a slightly more rustic, pan-Chiseian image, with many more familiar Yashiman dishes alongside the typical ohaw, sito and other northern staples.

Menu
The first Ohawkamuy restaurants served only ohaw, but today many other elements of Saramosiri and Chiseian cuisine have been added, including Sito (rice and millet dumplings stuffed with meat, wild onion, pumpkin or potato) and rataskep pan (loaves of bread stuffed with a pulp of stewed & mashed meats & vegetables). As Ohawkamuy is often busiest during morning and afternoon rushhour, drinks such as coffee, tea and various juices are offered, as well as rice porridge (sayo). Overall however, ohaw still makes up some 77% of sales.

Some standard varieties of ohaw such as cep ohaw (fish ohaw), yuk ohaw (venison ohaw) and ohaw are frequently offered as part of set meals, but the chain is best known for involving customers in the cooking process, with choices of toppings and broths for customers to pick from. Often these are more exotic and unusual than typical Saramosiri flavours, and ohawkamuy's ohaw is characterised by a high ingredient-broth ratio closer to various hotpot dishes such as than traditional ohaw.

Ohawkamuy has a reputation for low prices, with a bowl of ohaw usually only running around 文600.