When starting out in the food business, many of us probably have a dream of achieving success. Each business owner and each brand will have a different path to get there. However, every case study of a company that has grown and become successful has interesting stories for us to learn from, so that we can apply them and create our own path to success.

And today, MHA has been honored by 'Mr. Bond - Thiraphat Lertsiriprapa' Executives of Imsap Global Cuisine Co., Ltd., the operator of the Japanese restaurant brand Koen Premium, a popular sushi buffet that many people know well, including many other brands in the group such as Ono Sushi, Yung Khao Hom, Moo Tua Hia, and Ta Cuisine.

Recently, there was good news that a giant like PTT Oil and Retail Business Public Company Limited (OR) has agreed to invest with Imsap for a high amount of 192 million baht. But what's even more interesting is that What has Imsap's path to success been like? Why is a national giant like OR interested in investing? And after having just grown wings and having such a strong partner, what plan does 'Imthap' have to expand its success for us to see?

“I started my restaurant business from my passion for eating. The starting point was the restaurant “Yung Khao Hom”. We ate at “Khao Hom” on Koh Samui and loved it. So we went to learn the original recipe and brought it back to open “Yung Khao Hom” for people in Bangkok to try. This restaurant has received awards from the Michelin Guide for several years in a row. Since I really like eating Japanese food, I opened Kouen Sushi Bar at I’m Park Chula because I want everyone to be able to eat quality Japanese food at a reasonable price.

In the beginning, since we didn’t have much experience in running a restaurant, we had a lot to learn. For example, in the beginning, Koen only offered a la carte menus, which didn’t receive much feedback. However, when we analyzed the location, we saw that it was in a student area, so we changed it to a buffet style, which could better meet the needs and lifestyles of this customer group.”

When the Koen brand started to get on the right track, it received such a good response that it was able to expand to many other branches. It was also followed by other brands in the group such as 'Moo Tua Hia', which has a concept of being a complete street food with an emphasis on a variety of easy-to-eat pork dishes, 'Ono Sushi' is another Japanese food brand that focuses on sushi and donburi rice bowls at affordable prices, and then 'Dà Cuisine', which focuses on Cantonese-style Chinese food.

When it comes to overall success, Mr. Bond revealed that over the past year, the COVID crisis has affected the restaurants in the group and required them to adapt quite a bit, especially the brand that opened just in time for COVID, such as Ta Cuisine, which opened at the Athenee Tower on Witthayu Road. It was originally intended to cater to high-spending customers, including Chinese tourists. When the COVID crisis hit and there were no tourists, and the Thai customers with high spending power, most of whom were elderly, did not dare to risk leaving their homes, so in the future, there is a plan to adjust the concept of the restaurant to be a Cantonese-style Hot Pot, which will reach a wider group of customers.

But for the brand that is most talked about in terms of success, it is definitely 'Kouen Sushi Bar', in addition to its most outstanding feature that makes customers come back often, is its budget. Because Koen's buffet has a variety of prices to choose from, starting from 500 baht, 800 baht, 1,000 baht, up to 1,500 baht. This is an advantage that allows customers to control their expenses as desired. At the same time, we must not forget to control the quality of the food to be consistent and taste the same every time we come to eat, including the quality of service and other things that require attention to every detail.

And when the crisis happened, it also launched another subsidiary brand, ONO Sushi, which has a cheaper price to solve the situation, starting at only 10 baht per menu. It is also more suitable for delivery to meet the needs of customers during the difficult situation of the Covid crisis to still have quality Japanese food to eat at an affordable price.

“I think the core of doing business is If it comes from love and we care about it, try to find a solution, and do it well, I think the opportunity for growth is not difficult. In addition, the food business itself is like fashion, which needs to be updated and changed all the time. Anything that is the same repeatedly will become outdated. New ideas are very important for this business. This is why I place great importance on Research & Development in order to use feedback from customers to develop new menus. Including service to provide customers with new experiences and to keep them coming back to our restaurant again and again.”

· The taste of the food must be consistently up to standard. The taste is served today, it must taste the same every day.

· The quality of the product or raw material is the key. Many people who are not successful may be because they look at the profit first, such as changing the ingredients or changing the quality a little bit to increase the profit, but forget to think that the reason customers decide to buy our food is because of the taste and quality.

· When faced with the choice between adjusting prices to reflect rising raw material prices or degrading food quality , choose to communicate directly to customers about the need to adjust food prices to reflect the situation. It is a way to show sincerity to customers. When customers hear that the quality of the food is reasonable for the price, they will understand and accept it.

· Service is another important issue, besides the delicious taste of the food. The quality of service is still important. If a restaurant has both delicious food and good service, customers will return frequently. On the other hand, if some restaurants have delicious food but bad service, customers will return only once in a while, or not at all.

· Marketing with a variety of credit card partners Including regularly running special campaigns on various occasions to make customers feel the special occasion and value, including giving back to customers.

· The COVID crisis has taught us that business reserve funds must be at least 6 months. And you have to know how to adapt to the situation.

· Be prepared to deal with ever-changing situations and adapt quickly.

· Do social marketing on all channels including FB IG Twitter and Line OA But the most important thing is to maintain the quality of the food consistently, which makes customers trust and get word of mouth. But the storefront is still an important thing that cannot be missed because it is both an image and customers still want the experience of eating at the restaurant.

The love, care, and dedication in doing business in the past became even more apparent when a giant like OR saw the potential and assigned Modulus Venture Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of OR, to invest in 'Im Sap', which currently has 5 brands under its management: Koen Premium Buffet, Yung Khao Hom, Moo Tua Hia, Ta Cuisine, and Ono Sushi, with an investment of 25 percent at a budget of approximately 192 million baht.

This initial plan will focus on expanding the branches of the 'Ono Sushi' brand, which is a sushi restaurant and an accessible menu such as Donburi, to be another option for consumers and travelers who use the services at PTT Stations. The first Ono Sushi restaurant will be opened at the PTT Station Bangna inbound branch soon. It also aims to expand branches to cover the entire Bangkok and surrounding areas. Of course, there will definitely be plans to expand the business and achieve new successes. On this issue, Mr. Thirapat, as the CEO of 'Im Sap', said:

“As for why OR is interested in joining forces with Imsap, I think it’s because of several factors. The first is our team, which is both ready and experienced. The second is the back-end system, which we have focused on and implemented for about 2-3 years. Most SME businesses are not really interested in implementing the back-end or creating an ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) system. However, before this, we encountered COVID-19 and we had already set our sights on entering the stock market, so we prepared for this issue in advance. This made us more prepared than others. This was an important reason why OR was interested and we were able to close the deal with them in a short period of time.”

· Do business with love. When you do it with love, you pay attention to every detail. Then success and growth will follow easily.

· Give importance and build a good team that is professional, a team that is fully equipped with both skills and experience to make investors confident.

· The back-end system must be good, have standards, efficiency, and be auditable, whether it is an accounting system or an ERP system.

“As for what will happen in the future, besides opening branches at PTT gas stations, I think that right now , the COVID crisis has also changed people’s behavior. People eat and get up quickly, and they don’t want to sit for long. And because in the future there will be EV Chargers coming in, people will spend more at gas stations. When OR has space, we have ideas and know-how for opening a restaurant. When these two things are added together, 1+1 equals 10.

We may also see data integration in the future. PTT itself has millions of Blue Card members, right? In addition to refueling, Blue Card holders may also earn additional points when eating sushi at Koen or Ono Sushi. In addition, in other areas, we will also adjust various brands within our group that have been affected by COVID. We will try to adjust the format and make it better, something like that. But in reality, I don’t think we have succeeded yet. But it is another important step. I would like you to keep a close eye on our future changes. I guarantee that there will definitely be something fun to see again.”