Choi mulls more outlets, franchising

Thursday, January 12, 2012

CHINESE restaurant Choi City hopes to grow its business by opening “small-scale” branches in Cebu and Mactan this year.

Choi City is also considering franchising to strengthen the brand’s presence in the Visayas and Mindanao, said managing director Jay Tan.

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The small-scale expansion planned for Cebu is estimated to cost P20 million per branch. One branch would be located in Ayala Center Cebu mall and the one in Lapu-Lapu City will be in a hotel.

The firm is also in initial talks with potential franchisees in Iloilo and Cagayan de Oro City.

Tan said the brand has already established a “good” customer base here despite the stiff competition in the food industry, an indication that Cebuanos have “accepted authentic Chinese cuisine regardless of the price difference.”

“It was at first difficult. We have foreign chefs, we are bit pricey. But after educating the Cebuano market about these Chinese cuisines, we’ve got no problems,” said Tan in a recent interview.

Tan admitted, though, that the restaurant made some price adjustments for Cebu to attract more customers. But he said they took care not to comprise the quality of the food and service.

He said market acceptance also stemmed from the company’s quality of service and track record.

Choi City opened in November last year, the first provincial branch of the Choi chain of restaurants in Manila, which was founded by Choi Tak Pui from Hong Kong.

It has three other branches: Choi Garden, Choi Palace and H.K. Choi.

Choi City, which is located at Banilad Town Centre, can accommodate 500 persons and features over 200 dishes. The two-storey restaurant has about six function rooms.

Tan said aside from holding various events, the firm will start accepting catering services this year.

Aside from the expansion plans, the company will also introduce some “fusion” in the restaurant, said Tan. He added that the restaurant, with the expertise of its foreign chefs, will try Singaporean-Chinese dishes.