Tuesday, January 30, 2007 Fast food industry seen to be bullish this year By Malou M. Mozo Sun.Star Correspondent
A LOCAL Chinese restaurant marketing head expects the fast food industry to be bullish this year, citing economic indicators.
Harbour City Dimsum House Co. (HCDH) Inc. marketing manager Steven Kokseng said he is optimistic that Dimsum Break fast food and the local fast food industry, in general, will be bullish this year with the economy slowly picking up.
“Macroeconomic indicators, like the high value of the peso and the entry of more foreign investors, are positive signs and we’re waiting for it to trickle down to the microeconomic level,” he said.
However, despite this optimism, Kokseng said the company has no concrete plans to expand its other existing restaurants—Ding Qua Qua Dimsum House and Harbour City.
Franchise
“For this year, we will be concentrating more on Dimsum Break,” he said.
After completing its franchise program, HCDH will open future outlets to potential franchisees.
“We’re still in the process of completing the necessary documentations, standardizations, manuals etcetera. But once it’s finished we will expand through franchising,” he told Sun.Star Cebu.
Kokseng said the franchise program for Dimsum Break is set for completion this year, as expansion of future outlets is slated within the next three years.
Inquiries
He added that even while the company is currently ironing out the program, HCDH has been getting inquiries from interested investors who plan to put up Dimsum Break outlets in neighboring provinces like Bohol, Iloilo, Cagayan and Davao.
“As much as possible, we want to target a lot more market,” Kokseng said, adding the expansion is a response to the growing acceptability of Chinese food to be part of the Filipino diet.
Branches
Dimsum Break, which serves Cantonese cuisine and literally means “meals in small pieces,” first opened in 1996 in SM City Cebu.
Its nine branches in Cebu are located on Mango Ave., Colon St. and at SM City Cebu, Ayala Center Cebu, E-mall, GMC Arcade in Lapu-Lapu City, Fiesta Mall in Tabunok and in Banilad Town Center (BTC).
The Dimsum Break in BTC, which can accommodate 250 customers, is the only outlet with a drive-through service to cater to those who are always on-the-go.
Operations
Kokseng said opening the drive through service has improved the sales performance of its BTC branch since it started operations in 2005.
Harbour City Dimsum House, which is owned by the Uytengsu-Kokseng families, will be celebrating its 20th anniversary in the local restaurant industry this year.
