Wagamama - what am I missing?

I went to Wagamama for probably the 3rd time this weekend and yet again was completely confused as to why anyone would ever want to eat there. The confusion grows even more when you consider how highly people speak of it. Now I must be missing something, but here I want to outline why I am not a fan and if there is something that I'm missing, I'd love to hear it. I should point out that I went there as an act of love. My girlfriend loves it and knows I am not a fan, but as it was her birthday recently, it was only fair that I accompanied her for lunch there. After all, however much I dislike and disapprove, the experience doesn’t kill me or ruin my life, so I can make very occasional exceptions.

Seating - communal eating wasn't fun at school and it is certainly not fun now. I don't eat on busses or tubes, as like most people I think it rude to eat on someone's lap, so why create that environment in a 'restaurant'

Food - it is just not high quality. The chicken is awful/ dry/ large chunks. Almost certainly arrives frozen, probably cheap, battery chickens. The vegetables are raw (nothing wrong with this, just a fact), the sauces are sugary and don't taste freshly made.

Portions - the portions are just ridiculous. I am a six foot 1 male who enjoys his food, but I do not want to eat a whole main course (following no starter or breakfast) for lunch. The portion sizes are massive. The corporate motto is positive eating/ positive living. After eating lunch there, not much positive will happen as you melt into a sofa completely unable to move.

Ordering - the writing on the 'paper' on the table is a gimmick and an unpleasant and unnecessary one at that. It is not difficult to ask who ordered what and give it to them - why lean over me and scribble on the table?

Food arrival - the single biggest crime. Eating out is nearly always a social activity and the table lay out at Wagamama suggests that too. So why does the food arrive separately. Why would I want to go to dinner/ lunch with a friend/ lover and watch them eat or visa versa? How are the dynamics of conversation supposed to work when one person is eating and the other not - taking turns with soliloquies.

Price - for the poor food, the school lay-out, the clumsy service, the lack of a need to be able to speak or manage the speed you cook 2 different dishes, it is NOT cheap. Quite frankly, to have to compromise on all the above things should result in the food being cheaper than McDonald's, but it's not. It's quickly and easily in the £15 a head territory.

As I say, I find it amazing that this idea even made it into bricks and mortar, let alone survive and thrive to the point that people regularly go there. It’s a tragedy for food and manners and probably not that great on delivering positive ‘stuff’ as claimed.

I’m not particularly trying to convert fans of Wagamama to my way of thinking, but want to make it clear why I just don’t get it.