Deutsche Lebensmittel - AHK Korea

18
Kompakt
“Promoting German food in Asia”
Interview with Malcolm Chao, Vice President, Franchise Operations
KORUM: Dear Mr. Chao, Brotzeit® is
a company unknown to most Koreans.
Could you, please, provide some general
information on what kind of businesses
Brotzeit® conducts?
Chao: Brotzeit® offers authentic Bavarian
Cuisine accompanied by world-famous
German beers in a chic and contemporary
setting. "Brotzeit®" is a typical Bavarian
expression – "Brot" being German for bread
and "Zeit" for time, referring to a cozy meal
complemented by fresh beer.
We are focused on achieving sustainable
business growth and regional expansion by
ensuring their franchisee success. Currently
operating in Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam,
Hong Kong, Mainland China, Thailand and
Philippines it has signed further development
deals in Indonesia and Beijing with
more territories in the pipeline such as Korea
and Japan amongst them.
All our outlets engage guests with chic décor
through the use of German-inspired wooden
benches and a long wooden bar counter. The
contemporary bier bar possesses a playful
charm with its characteristic signature mural
showing the history and development of
German beer culture. Our restaurants serve
the widest selection of pure German beers
in Singapore all day long, made according to
KORUM Nr. 44 | April 2013
time-honoured German beer-making traditions
that respect the Purity Law of 1516. All
beers are made using pure spring water and
are paired with authentic Bavarian dishes.
KORUM: Brotzeit® being awarded with
the 2012 Singaporean ‘Franchise of the
Year Award’ as well as its success in Singapore
and abroad reflect its ability to
fill in a niche in the market. How did you
come up with the idea to run a business
in Asia based on German food?
Chao: Brotzeit®’s concept came from a
group of Germans and Austrians living in
Singapore who wanted to bring the authentic
food and beer from Bavaria to Singapore.
While traditional German restaurants
tend to be packaged, old-fashioned, mom
and pop-run establishments where service
staff wear traditional Bavarian costumes, we
have opted for a modern, urban chic relaxed
and comfortable interior decor to reflect its
casual dining concept, as well as German
bier garden elements that are open and
spacious. There are no other German casual
dining franchise concepts anywhere else.
KORUM: Regarding the franchise business,
what were the biggest difficulties
making German food palatable for Asian
customers?
Chao: At Brotzeit® we believe that it is
necessary to retain certain core items in
all franchises while adapting to local markets.
This consists of having certain core
items in the main menu across all franchises,
while allowing for the localisation
of menus to better appeal to domestic markets.
For instance, menus in all franchises
include conventional dishes such as sausages,
schnitzels and pork knuckles, as well as
uniquely Bavarian dishes that give a sense of
authenticity, such as goulash (meat stew). At
the same time, franchisees may also adapt
certain dishes to local markets. For example,
if Brotzeit® enters the Thai market, which
tends to consume more fish, then the local
menu could include more fish dishes, which
must be prepared in a Bavarian style to
remain true to our concept.
Localisation and a good understanding of
local taste are important because locals
contribute 90-95 per cent of Brotzeit®'s
business. Our menus also include more sharing
platters to suit the preferences of Asian
consumers, compared to individual portions
that are more common in the West.
KORUM: Brotzeit® has set up several
stores throughout East Asia. Do you have a
particular franchise model in dealing with
your franchisees and how does it address
the cultural differences across Asia?
Chao: Brotzeit® German Bier Bar & Restaurant
is the world’s leading German franchise
restaurant concept operating multi-nationally.
What this means is, unlike most other
segments in the multi-unit F&B Franchising
industry, there is no organised competition.
We do not sell single-unit franchises
in a new market. Instead we have chosen
to develop by selling market areas, which
require the franchise developer to open a
number of units, typically three to six in a
period of six years.
To address the various cultural differences,
we have comprehensive systems with
extensive Operating Manuals in place and
excellent support in training and marketing
throughout from planning phase, Fit-Out to
opening and continual operations to develop
the brand locally and internationally. The
manuals and guidelines we have put into
place ensure the consistent execution and
quality of our products. We also do regular
monitoring by conducting an Operations
Improvement Evaluation (OIE) of all franchise
stores every three months to ensure that the
Brand and Corporate Identity standards, couple
with standard of service, food and drink is
consistent. The franchise model allows locals
to run the overseas operations, side-stepping
the problem, as the franchisees are on the