"Slurp Duck Noodles" Roadside duck noodles, changing lives to become a national street food champion!

Noodles are a simple menu that has a variety of varieties and is always popular. They are also sold everywhere. But to sell noodles like a 'professional', what kind of mindset is needed to make the business 'systematic', standardized and grow? Today, we will take you to see the mindset of a champion noodle shop and reveal every corner of the Food Truck of 'Sod Tiew Ped Palo', the winner of the 'GSB Street Food Changes Lives' (Dare to Think, Changes Lives) competition organized by the Government Savings Bank. He recently used the experience he gained to upgrade and create a new Food Truck with cutting-edge functions that meet the needs of work and lead to remarkable progress for the business.

• Up-level Street Food, a family business for over 40 years

• Discover every corner of the champion food truck

• Think carefully about what you want to sell and design an appropriate plan.

• 'Professional' standards design work to be a single flow.

• The system was designed so well that it was a hit. Before even starting the franchise, many people contacted us.

Mr. Suradet Somsengiam, the owner of Sod Tiew Ped Palo, who has elevated the reputation of this noodle brand from Yamo, tells us the story of Sod Tiew Ped Palo’s success as follows:

Upgrading Street Food, a Family Business For over 40 years, Mr. Suradet’s family has been in the noodle business since his ancestors. He is the third generation who has continued the legend since before the shop even had a name. When the young man took over, he named the shop ‘Sod Tiew’ because it was an easy name to call and catchy. “Before, our business was no different from other street food vendors that sell on the streets. There was no management system at all. I just followed what my parents taught me. Then I had the opportunity to compete in the GSB Street Food competition and met P’Tham Prawattree (a businessman and lecturer with expertise in food business management).

This taught me a much better way of thinking and management system for my shop. It made me realize the importance of good systems and standards, which will help our business progress.”

Revealing every corner of a champion food truck. In fact, before the latest food truck selling noodles that was recently launched, Sod Tiew had...

Previous trucks “When I first decided to make duck noodle soup, we noticed the popularity of food trucks and the advantage of being able to park anywhere. So we made the first truck first. But at that time, I must say that I didn’t have much knowledge. So there are many differences between the first truck and this latest one. The most important one is the cleanliness standards set by the Ministry of Public Health, which restaurants must have, such as a sink. My old truck didn’t have one, but this new one does. When I first made it, I designed it according to my expertise and understanding at that time. So it wasn’t up to standard yet.”

Think calmly about what you will sell and design an appropriate plan. Just like an entrepreneur who must gradually accumulate experience through trial and error until it crystallizes. After competing in the GSB Street Food program and having a good consultant like Mr. Tham, Mr. Suradet used the way of thinking he learned to improve various operations, including making a new food truck, starting from designing the plan before actually producing the truck.

“It has to start with thinking about what kind of food we will sell. For example, the old car, we only sold noodles. But one day, when we wanted to sell something else, we couldn’t put it on the car because it wasn’t designed for that purpose. This time, for the new car, I made a list of everything: duck noodles, chicken noodles, beef noodles, rib noodles, beef with basil, chicken with basil, ribs with basil, stewed duck with basil. Once I had a list of all the food, I designed a diagram of what would go where. Where would the noodle boiling pot be? Which side would be used for stock? How many compartments would there be for each ingredient? What would be in the front? What would be in the back? Where would the basil stir-fry stove be? And there had to be an exhaust hood on top. I had to calculate and measure everything to make it consistent, etc., to make it convenient to work and maximize the use of space.” “I thought about it in detail to the point of trying to imagine and simulate the situation so that we would know the traffic of the work, whether it was suitable or not, where there were some mistakes. When I got the plan, I asked P’Tham to help comment and then adjust it again. Then I ordered the production according to the plan.” The latest eye-catching red noodle truck of Sod Tiew can be said to have been well thought out. It can facilitate the work, help raise both the standard and the efficiency of the work significantly.

“With a 6-hole noodle boiler that controls the temperature and time, within 1 minute, we can boil up to 6 bowls of noodles at once. As for the stir-fried basil menu, we tried to manage the space by placing only 3 condiments: dried chili, basil sauce, and basil leaves. You may ask why there are not many condiments such as garlic, dark soy sauce, oyster sauce, sugar, etc. because the space in the car is limited. I have to make everything into a sauce. We just stir-fry with the sauce that we have carefully developed, then add chili and basil leaves and it’s done. It is a way of thinking to solve the problem of space limitations in the car, while also being able to deliver delicious food to customers.”

'Professional' standards, designing the work to be a single flow. In addition to the well-thought-out kitchen plan to support the food to be sold and work efficiency, Mr. Suradet also said that

 The noodle truck of Sod Tiew is also designed with the safety of the workers in mind because there are boilers, stoves, and hot pans on the truck. If they move around frequently, accidents can occur. Therefore, the standard design helps shorten the work process and also helps with worker safety. Moreover, the truck is designed to have the same flow of work as much as possible. From the moment the customer orders the food, there is a POS system that, once the order is entered, the bill will be run to the kitchen so that the kitchen staff can cook the food according to the ordered items immediately. Every menu must be weighed and measured to ensure that every dish is of the same standard. When the food is finished, the staff who takes the order will check again that the customer has received the food according to the ordered items. It can be said that only 2 people are enough to operate. When asked about the importance of making the system up to standard, the owner of a professional noodle shop at the champion level replied, “In the past, I never knew what temperature of water to use to boil noodles. I only knew that boiling water was enough to boil noodles. I never knew how many liters of water in the noodle pot. I only knew that when the water in the pot ran out, I had to refill it. But after entering the GSB Street Food competition, my vision has changed a lot. I have to know even that How many bowls of noodles can one pot of noodle soup make? I have changed my perspective on working. I have re-developed myself. I set a goal to become a Sod Tiew brand. I want to become a standard roadside noodle shop.” “Just imagine, if there were no weighing, measuring, and some bowls might not be the same amount, how would we check the stock and the cost? Sometimes, if someone we know comes to eat, they might give them a lot, which would be unfair to other customers. By creating this standard, not only will the taste and quantity of every bowl be the same, which is fair to all customers, but it also helps us manage costs transparently and efficiently.” “In addition, the system helps reduce errors in work and helps with business growth. When we make food trucks with a standard system, when customers see it, they will feel the standard of cleanliness and safety. Many customers are willing to pay more for what they receive. Another important thing is that if we have a system and standard, it will be easy for anyone to come in and do it because we have everything that we need our employees to follow. Even people who don’t know how to cook can easily follow. So when we expand our business, it will be easy and we will have the same standard, no matter how many branches we expand.”

The system was designed so well that it became a hit. Even before the franchise was launched, many people contacted us.

“Since the launch of this truck on December 18, our performance has improved to some extent. Unfortunately, the impact of the second wave of COVID-19 outbreak since December 20 has caused the event that we used to hire trucks to disappear. But it is good that there are hundreds of people interested in opening a Food Truck. But right now, we still have to say that we are still in the testing phase of the system. If any errors are found, we will fix them first because we want the released system to be complete and have the fewest problems. For customers who buy franchises, we want it to meet the needs of the business owner because anything that is easy and clear can be checked at all times. For example, the POS (Point of Sale) system can check, verify, and summarize the total at all times. We also have 2 CCTV cameras on the truck, which means that you can check the work of the employees on the truck in real time. So no matter where you are in the world, as long as you have internet, you can check and take care of your business.”

All of the above are every nook and cranny and advantages of the champion food truck, 'Sod Tiew Ped Palo'. For those who are interested in Sod Tiew's food truck franchise, Mr. Suradet said that it should cost around 600,000 - 700,000 baht. This budget includes a vehicle, license plate, food recipes, and the entire management system . Even though there are many interested parties contacting to buy a franchise, Sod Tiew still wants to take the time to test run and improve the system before selling the actual franchise in the middle of this year. When that time comes, the income from selling the franchise will definitely turn it into a million-baht noodle brand. For those who are interested in buying a franchise, you can contact Sod Tiew. This is a good example of a food truck that meets professional standards and is a truly admirable progress of the Street Food business.