The casual dining scene is fickle, and many restaurants seem content to simply ride the trends, dressing up chain food fodder as something more sophisticated. Some do it more convincingly than others. And then there are those that can lay genuine claim to be setting the trends. Thanaruek Laoraowirodge, co-owner of the hip bistro Minibar Royale (established 2008), tells BK that the latest food trends hardly come into consideration when he and his partners look to open a new restaurant. “We’ve always found some hole in the market, focusing on niche areas and being different from what else is around.” Instead, he says they prefer to concentrate on mastering their recipes and getting the taste, quality and presentation of their food just right. “Always exceed the customers’ expectations,” he concludes.
Kulapat ‘May’ Kanokwatanawan, owner of the extremely popular dessert café After You (first opened 2007), puts much of her success down to being a foodie pioneer. “People will come if you’re the only one who’s doing a certain thing and doing it right,” she says. “Then again, if 90% of people suddenly started counting calories and prioritizing their health, I’d have no hesitation in reassessing my direction.”
We’ve seen it all too often, that once one restaurant starts getting popular, a slew of others quickly pop up regurgitating the same old ideas, whether it’s the décor, the menu or the drinks. “That’s just how the world is,” May shrugs. “All we have to do is maintain our standards. People keep coming back because they like the taste of our products, first and foremost. Then they tell their friends, often through Facebook and Instagram, so our clientele just keeps growing organically.”
On rival start-ups, Win Singhapatkul, owner of Wine I Love You (established 2010), says he doesn’t look at other wine bars, including the closest imitators, as competitors. “I think they’re just helping to grow the wine bar market even more. And, in fact, my restaurant is not so much in the business of selling wine; we’re more focused on the food.” Instead, he sees the mass chain Sizzler as his restaurant’s main challenger in the Western food sector.
Ask any restaurateur what the biggest challenges are to running a restaurant in Bangkok, and one of the most frequent answers is sure to be staff recruitment. Win and May both agree that it’s not easy to find skilled and dedicated staff to provide not only good service, but also fulfill the vision they have for their brand. This is because working in the food industry requires so much attention to detail. May says she faces difficulties in training up competent staff. She has to deal with each and every one of her employees, and she tells them that if they’re willing to learn, she will be there to help them. “We just can’t afford a proper training school for our staff, and we can’t teach them to simply read our mind, so, of course, instances of human error crop up all the time.” As Win explains, “Working in a restaurant is among the most tiresome jobs you can have. This is an ongoing concern for me: who would prefer serving food over, say, sitting around in a clothes shop all day?”
With two Wine I Love You branches, in Mega Bangna and CDC, as well as the popular dining spot Chocolate Ville, to deal with, you might wonder how Win manages to maintain consistency across all restaurants. Factor in that the menu features more than 300 dishes spanning a range of international cuisines, and things could quite easily become a logistical nightmare. But Win explains that some of the food is prepared in advance before being distributed to the various venues where the finishing touches are added. Not only does this save time, but it also means fewer cooks are required at each of the eateries. “I think we’re doing pretty well with our products. A cool, dark décor won’t do it alone,” he points out.
“Initially, I wanted to do something new with a whole different concept, but in the end I decided just to focus on After You. I have some plans to expand the franchise to places like Dubai, Korea and Singapore. I’ve had some interest, but I’ll have to find the right person who really understands the concept.”
“We’re opening a new branch of Wine I Love You at A Square (across from K-Village) in Aug and it’ll be our biggest space yet. We’re also working on a new product line, possibly something to do with frozen food or tea. It should be around by next year.”
“We’re opening a restaurant focusing on traditional Thai cuisine in Thong Lor soon. The recipes will come from the restaurant Krua Supanniga by Khunyai in my hotel property in Khon Kaen. As for Minibar, we’ll open another one or two branches, while Somtam Der is going to be expanded to Singapore and KL.”
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