You may have heard about the street food vendor in Singapore who is to be awarded the prestigious Michelin star. So what can franchisees learn from Chan Hong Meng, owner of Hong Kong Soya Sauce Chicken Rice and Noodle?
What are the Michelin Stars?
It is now considered a prestigious marker of fine dining quality and restaurants around the world. In a report by the Daily Mail, infamous celebrity chef Gordon Ramsey said he cried when he lost his Michelin stars for his New York restaurant.
So for a street vendor to be recognised, what’s he doing right?
The star-studded hawker stall
As a report by SmartCompany reads, Chan, owner of Hong Kong Soya Sauce Chicken Rice and Noodle is the first street food cart to be awarded a Michelin Star.
Franchised food retailing is considered a primary activity of the $171.6 bn industry, so what can franchisees learn from Chan’s success?
- Optimising your resources: Chan customised his workplace to make sure the chopping board and table top suited his height and allowed him to sell 150 chickens a day. How can this concept work for you? There might be a more efficient way of managing your lunch time peak hour or morning coffee rush by tweaking your roster or the way orders are managed.
- Putting in the hard yards: Chan works 100 hours a week and doesn’t close until all the chickens are sold, which is a testament to the quote ‘you only get out what you put in’. And it’s as simple as that – be prepared to work hard to see the best results.
- Be positive: Dining at a three star restaurant may be on the bucket list for Chan, but what really shines is that he is content with where he is. It’s important for franchisees to be positive about the business. And enjoy the journey!
- Does your face light up? When Chan starts talking about his food, you know he loves what he does. Franchisees need to make sure an investment is exciting. The hard yards will then be worth it.
- Building up the customer experience: Chan says that the fair pricing of his food is because short-term profits are not his main goal, even in the face of being awarded the star. For him, the customer experience is paramount. And it’s the same for a hospitality franchise. There are many competitors in the race, so what will keep the customers returning to yours?