Aug 24, 2021
When you talk about restaurants so legendary for flavor that customers long remember them, a legend from Thailand has to be the Mueang Thong Crab Fried Rice Restaurant, which has experienced tremendous business success. How is the restaurant managed? And how have the restaurant's profits increased over the 17 years? Let's read an interview with the restaurant owner, Mr. Somboon Piyathabtim!
Mueang Thong Crab Fried Rice Restaurant's Constant Attention to Customers
If you walk into the first branch of Mueang Thong Crab Fried Rice Restaurant at Chaeng Wattana 14 Lane, you will hear the sounds of spatulas hitting against many woks as they constantly churn out fried rice. There are over 12 people manning different woks at the restaurant, all working diligently to quickly deliver crab fried rice to customers. Every time before serving, the restaurant requires that its menu items are checked in order to maintain its quality.
Select Crab Fried Rice Menu Item Using "Special Rice Grains" for Tenderness and Taste
The recipe used to make the rice taste great has undergone a lot of trial and error before it became suitable for the crab fried rice. The secret lies in how the rice is cooked. It cannot be overly saturated when cooked, so the restaurant specifies a clear ratio consisting of three parts Sao Hi white rice and one part jasmine rice to deliver the tenderness Thai people love.
When frying rice, just salt, white soy sauce and ground sugar are used. And the emphasis is placed on the skills of the cook. The rice has to be fried at a rate of one minute per plate, so the stove's heat has to be very high. If the rice were cooked for less than a minute, it would not taste good. That's probably one of the secrets used to increase the restaurant's profit and give great flavor to customers.
High production cost but low profits – how come they managed to sell so well for so long? What's the restaurant management secret?
When the Tom Yum Goong economic crisis occurred in 1997, Mr. Somboon saw an opportunity to start a restaurant business with emphasis on reaching the high level of flavor available in Chinese restaurants at the time. One classic menu item was crab fried rice. Even though its production cost is high because the restaurant used premium quality crab and its profit per plate was low, the restaurant placed greater care on what customers wanted. As a result, the restaurant came to rule over the hearts of its customers, and its tables are packed full of customers nearly every day.
What other dishes are offered in addition to crab fried rice?
The restaurant offers only five other menu items such as fish swim bladder, shrimp in vermicelli, suki, egg fried rice and satay pork. These are foods served in Chinese restaurants in the past and they are all popular. Although the menu items offered are few, every single one can increase the restaurant's profits.
Restaurant Management Secrets to the Success of Mueang Thong Crab Fried Rice Restaurant
Mr. Somboon says, "Hard work and diligence are important things every business person should have. If you work hard, the techniques, problem-solving, knowledge and experience will eventually follow. Having passion will also give you the drive to find the best solutions for your business. In other words, you need to believe in yourself. If you’re unsteady when it comes to yourself, your business quality will likewise be unsteady."
For anyone looking to open a restaurant, you can apply the restaurant management secrets described here to increase your restaurant's profits. And if you are suffering from problems such as high production cost but low profits, you need to plan your ingredient purchases and inventory management and do your income and expense accounting You can take free online courses by Makro HoReca Academy in order to control costs and increase profits for your businesses.
