Survival strategy! New Normal era in the style of "Fak Tung Isan Style" restaurants

Throughout April, Jack-Duangtawan Kesorn, owner of Fak Tong Isan Style, an Isan restaurant serving Isan recipes from Ubon Ratchathani, has been trying out many things. Despite the difficult challenges, he has been constantly thinking and learning about new things until he finally found a way to cope. Jack has adjusted his entire plan to overcome this obstacle, using lessons learned from his first year of opening the restaurant (4 years ago) when he was affected by the construction of the electric train, resulting in no customers coming to eat at the restaurant. He has been continuously adjusting, doing in-depth marketing to find customers, and changing the variety of the menu, concisely focusing on Isan food, which has been very well-received by customers.

Deciding to fight and how to cope with COVID-19 A big question for restaurants during the COVID-19 storm is: Should we open or stop? Jack was the same. In the end, the answer was to keep going! Then he looked for a way to adjust the restaurant by reducing costs and creating new things to fit the situation. “At first, I weighed whether to open or close. If I open but no one comes, will I have money to hire staff? Will I be able to sell? So I consulted my seniors in the restaurant industry. I consulted with Phi Kasem (Khun Kasemsan Satyarak), General Manager of Copper Buffet, who advised that if we open, we will still have sales, but if we close, it will be zero. I have to fight on. I have a great team who is ready to fight together.” “Fortunately, the owner was sympathetic. Whenever I had a loss, he said that I could pay later. During COVID-19, I submitted documents to ask for a reduction in the rent, so it shouldn't be a problem. As for the electricity bill, I unplugged 4 beverage coolers and reduced the vegetable coolers, chiller cabinets, and freezers from 6 to 2. I stopped using the dishwasher and reduced the use of ice. I only turned on the ice maker at night because the electricity bill was cheaper than during the day. The normal electricity bill 20,000-30,000 baht, leaving around ten thousand baht, water bills are saved by 50%.

Isan bento menu adapted to fight COVID-19 Changing the menu is one of the first things to do because it will determine other variables such as raw material costs, kitchen management and stock. Only the popular menu items that are popular with customers are kept, including creating new menus that are especially attractive to diners during this period.

“ With our restaurant’s menu being quite extensive and diverse, the first thing is that my team and I have planned to narrow down the menu. Any menu that doesn’t sell well or is at risk of being easily lost will be cut out, such as jungle food, oysters, which are fresh. Cockles are not sold every day, only on days when we go to the market. Because before, I ordered ingredients through suppliers, which were quite expensive. But now I drive to buy it every other day. Which makes the cost much lower. It's a bit tiring, but customers get to eat more and the price is cheaper."

“Then I changed the Isaan food to be a set menu by bringing the menu that customers eat most often and make them feel that it is worth the price. I think that even if the profit is small, it doesn't matter. At least the employees have work to do. Customers will get value for their money. I think that if COVID-19 disappears, if customers know that our food is delicious, they will definitely come back. So I thought of the Isaan bento project. There are 4 main sets.

There is also a promotion of 3 lunch boxes for 100 baht, including services Free delivery to customers If you order 100 baht, free delivery within 1 km. If you order 500 baht, free delivery within 5 km. If you order 1,000 baht, free delivery within 10 km. And there is a special promotion, free steamed snakehead fish with fermented fish sauce for 350 baht. And in front of the shop, there is a table selling rice with curry for 40-60 baht per bag. “There are some customers who still work in this area, including vendors and taxi drivers. So I adjusted the menu to rice with curry for 40-60 baht per bag. During this situation, Khao Kaeng also helps us to another level. I make 7-10 menus a day and it is well-received because the price is affordable and the taste is delicious. I have a lot of regular customers who come in and say that when COVID-19 is over, please continue to sell.”
Add self-delivery delivery service
But before this, sales of Fak Tong Isan Style came mainly from the storefront channel, up to 90-95%. When he had to adapt, Jack brought back his experience as a pizza delivery guy who was familiar with the routes in Bangkok and used it again by adding a self-delivery service. “Before, I had a delivery service through various applications, but I didn’t focus on it much because I had to pay a GP fee, which I thought wasn’t worth it. So now I’ve added a self-delivery service. Most customers order via Line@ or our shop's fan page. We have two motorcycles. Invest in a backpack and some store stickers to build your brand. I already know the routes in Bangkok quite well. Nowadays, there is Google Maps. Customers just need to send their location and they can go there very easily. But there are both advantages and disadvantages. For example, if customers live far away, ordering through the application will be cheaper, but the price of the food will increase a little bit. So, add value according to what customers are comfortable with .

Packaging for delivery and safety
The basics that Jack considers when adjusting and choosing food packaging are suitability for the food, convenience and safety in transportation, and aesthetics. “When thinking about packaging, you have to know what kind of boxes are available right now. Next, I will look at value for money as the main thing. As for my girlfriend, she wants everything to look beautiful. When customers take pictures, they have to look good too. “When I can find some, I use them in each category, whether it’s larb, yam, or boiled. For example, boiled and som tam, they come in a microwaveable jar. The spicy set is a pizza box. I feel that it’s a perfect match and looks good. When I open it, there’s som tam, grilled pork neck, sun-dried beef, grilled chicken, sticky rice, and fermented fish sauce chili paste inside. “In addition to beauty, we also look at whether transportation is convenient or not. At first, we thought the packaging was good. When driving out and encountering waves, the curry leaked because the packaging was too big. When it was placed in the block, it didn’t fit. We adjusted the size of the packaging to be more suitable and bought additional equipment to block the food box. When transporting, it was convenient and there were no more problems. Therefore, even though we thought it was the best, if we encountered a problem, we had to keep adjusting. The good thing about COVID is that it made us think and act right away. If something is good, we have to do it now. We won’t put it off. We have to do it quickly and fix it.”

Safety is paramount in the COVID-19 era
Food safety is a top priority for Jack because he believes that the consumer is entrusting their life to Isan Style. “I divide safety into 2 parts. The first part is in the kitchen. Staff must dress cleanly, wear gloves, masks, and hats. The area must be cleaned. All containers must be cleaned thoroughly. Items must be placed 60 cm. above the floor according to district regulations. I think my restaurant’s cleanliness is second to none in Isaan restaurants. I have to commend the chef for being a lover of cleanliness and checking very carefully.” “As for the customer service part, if customers come to buy at the store, there will be a temperature measuring device, alcohol, and a distance of 1-2 meters for receiving. As for the delivery staff, they will wear gloves, have alcohol, and a cloth to clean the shipping box.” “I think that the basics of taking care of safety to deal with COVID, we should be able to do it 100%. We have seen examples from Copper Buffet and Klong Saen Suk restaurants, which have done very well. We consulted with our seniors and received advice that we must build trust with customers first. If customers trust us, they will dare to eat our food.”
Adjust employee performance
Previously, Jack had to take care of a team of 30 people in the Isan-style maternity care center. In total, the monthly expenses for salaries were in the six-figure range. As soon as the COVID-19 crisis hit, it was necessary to reduce staff and adjust the working methods.

“ Regarding employees, I will select those who can work in this situation. Those who have not worked for 3 months will be given a break first. As for the foreigners, they will return home during Songkran. We will not find anyone to replace them. But now we have to help the children who can't go home. We have a place to stay, 3 meals a day, and we pay for everything. “Now, there are 6 staff: 1 chef, 3 kitchen staff, and 2 delivery staff. In the past, the restaurant had a laab kitchen, a spicy salad kitchen, a somtam kitchen, a stir-fry kitchen, and a fried kitchen, all of which the chefs took care of. When stir-frying minced pork with basil and fried eggs, it took 4 people to finish one dish. Nowadays, the chefs who used to just wait to stir-fry now have to pick the basil themselves, load the ingredients themselves, and put them in boxes. We have to help each other as much as we can. Now, teamwork is very important. After work, I have a meeting with my team almost every day to discuss what obstacles we encountered that day and brainstorm together.”
Marketing strategies during the virus outbreak
Nowadays, marketing must focus primarily on online channels. For those who follow the fan page, Fak Tong Isan Style, you will see the creation of a selling point and a very attractive presentation, such as #StayingAtHomeYouMustEatSpicyFood #FaaktongAtHome or the name of the Isan Bento Set menu. “When writing content, We also look at which group of customers is our group. Normally, my girlfriend and I are the ones who think of the page. Since our page style is an Isan restaurant, sometimes my girlfriend will think of words in Central Thai, and I will translate them into Isan to fit the style of the restaurant. Sometimes, there will be humor and hilarity. I'm a fun person. I want to be friendly with customers. I don't want to be too stressed because the economy and the COVID situation are stressful enough. I want to communicate simply in the Isan language." In addition to promoting on a unique fan page, the arrival of COVID-19 has allowed Jack to learn marketing strategies that go back to the basics but have received very good feedback. "When COVID-19 happened, I consulted about marketing with my seniors in the restaurant industry. They suggested that I come and observe the customers up close at the restaurant. In the past, I never looked to see if customers in this area knew about our shop. When I advertised, I would choose a distance of 10 km from the shop. Now that I look at it, I find that customers in this area rarely order at all.” “So I adjusted my strategy by handing out flyers, using the method of distributing them in areas where food can be delivered the fastest, around 2-3 km from the shop. By taking Lat Phrao Intersection as the main point, going towards Ratchada-Lat Phrao Intersection, Sutthisan, Saphan Khwai, and Ratchayothin, I placed brochures in houses and buildings. When distributing them, I wore gloves and sprayed alcohol to show them that I was safe. Or when meeting customers, I stood 1 meter apart. “The advantage of handing out flyers is that sometimes we can talk directly to customers. I get new customers like I’m tied to a lunchbox. Order with us 2-3 times a day, or sometimes three meals a day. The response is quite good. I feel that it is a marketing that can be used in practice, even in an era where people are playing Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and YouTube. So I use it both online and offline. I think that if COVID-19 goes away, I will probably get more customers in the area of ​​the shop as well.”
Adapt to survive and move forward to new opportunities.
Isan style can stand on its own as a result of daring to change oneself according to the situation.

“I feel that I made the right decision to open the shop since March 21st. At that time, I was deciding whether to open or close. When I got encouragement from my seniors in the restaurant industry and the team in the shop, I decided to open until today. If I look at the numbers, I am still not satisfied. But the graph is going up. And what I got in return are new customers. And they are regular customers. There are a lot of repeat orders. This is what I got from actually doing it. “Even if the COVID-19 situation goes away, I think it will definitely be a starting point to take the experience in doing delivery and build on it. Because I think there will be a group of customers who still prefer to eat at home and don't dare to go out, so I have to adjust the menu to suit the customer group as much as possible. I might do some research and ask the customers myself because right now the restaurant's fan page has more than 40,000 followers and about 1,000 people following it on Line@. If I broadcast to talk to 1,000 customers on Line@ and can answer their questions about the menu for 100 baht each, I will earn an additional 100,000 baht."
New Normal for restaurants in the COVID era
After the relaxation of measures for some types of restaurants to open for dine-in service, such as roadside restaurants, open-air restaurants, under the conditions and regulations such as 1.5 meters apart, temperature measurement, alcohol gel for hand washing, for buffet restaurants, do not cook yourself, do not pick up yourself, must order the staff to serve, which of course makes restaurant owners feel more relieved to some extent. What will have to be done from now on is considered the New Normal for Fong Tung Isan Style, has prepared and has planned to open a shop already. “I always believe that opportunities are for those who are ready. I am very ready. I have talked to the team about arranging tables about 1.5 meters apart, screening, temperature measurement, alcohol gel, preparing a waiting area for customers, staff wearing gloves, masks, clearing everything on the table. We do this consistently. We do not leave equipment, condiments, brochures on empty tables to prevent germs. “When measures are implemented, we are ready to adjust. We may have to adjust orders to set or course, prepare a sterilizer for spoons and forks like in the food court, install air purifiers, and do a big cleaning of the shop often. For payments, we may ask for cooperation by transferring money instead of accepting cash to reduce contact with money and customers initially, so that customers have confidence in us.” “Whether it’s 1 month, 3 months, or 6 months, if the government tells me to do something, I have to do it to the best of my ability. Initially, the regulations were announced. We are already doing them. There is nothing to worry about. We can meet the requirements and do well. But if other measures are added, we will have to see how we can adjust ourselves to meet the requirements of the government sector. We will have to wait and see.” Photo credit: Facebook.com/Faak.tong