Wednesday, December 08, 2004
Jonie’s Chicken aims to expand outside RP
JONIE’S Flavored Chicken, with five outlets in the Visayas and Mindanao, is now setting its sights not only on Luzon, but also on the world.
This is why the company is now preparing for franchising, targeted to begin next year.
Jonathan Gesalem, president and chief executive officer of Golden Roast Chicken Inc., the all-Filipino chicken company behind Jonie’s, said Amirali Ajani, a Canadian consultant, has been helping the company in all aspects of its business, particularly in the preparation of manuals, to prepare for franchising.
“We are going into franchising. Amir is here to help us attain international standards,” Gesalem said.
During a press conference yesterday at Jonie’s branch in SM City Cebu, Gesalem said the company has already received expressions of interest for branches in Bohol, Tacloban and Manila.
But Ajani revealed that China is also being targeted.
“We made the documents manual to make the business transferable, so we will be ready to franchise internationally,” he said, showing reporters completed manuals for operations, production, sanitation, administration and training, among others.
Jonie’s currently has two branches in Cebu—one in SM, the other in Ayala. There are two branches in Cagayan de Oro and one in Butuan.
Gesalem said the company plans to expand in Cebu next year, but probably no longer in a mall, where the competition is fierce.
His brother, Mark, chief operating officer for Mindanao operations, also said Jonie’s will be opening a new outlet in Iligan next year, and another in Butuan.
Jonie’s has many Muslim customers in Mindanao, Mark said, because Jonie’s chicken is halal, that is, prepared according to Muslim tradition.
Aside from setting up new branches, Jonie’s will also introduce new dishes—including barbecued ribs, fish and chips, and desserts—as well as a delivery service.
The Gesalems are no strangers to franchising. They hold the franchises for four Shakey’s outlets in Davao, and over 50 Dunkin’ Donuts outlets in the country, 36 of them in Cebu.
Jonathan Gesalem encouraged people interested to open a Dunkin’ Donuts outlet to discuss with him the possibilities.
The Gesalem family, which has been in the food business for almost 20 years now, has Dunkin’ Donuts outlets in Cebu, Cagayan de Oro, Iligan, Butuan and most recently, in Bohol, where Gesalem said the outlet made a world record in terms of the number of doughnuts sold in a day.
Another world record set by the family was in the opening of the most number of outlets in a day: five. (CTL)
(December 8, 2004 issue)
Write letter to the editor.Click here.
Join the Sun.Star message board.Click here. |
