{"id":11087,"date":"2018-01-05T08:10:15","date_gmt":"2018-01-05T01:10:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/yup.edu.vn\/?p=11087"},"modified":"2018-01-07T14:34:14","modified_gmt":"2018-01-07T07:34:14","slug":"di-tim-cong-thuc-thanh-cong-khi-kinh-doanh-am-thuc","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/yup.edu.vn\/en\/di-tim-cong-thuc-thanh-cong-khi-kinh-doanh-am-thuc\/","title":{"rendered":"Seeking the formula for success in the food business"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif; font-size: 14pt;\"><strong>I do not consider myself an expert in restaurant chains or fast food, but I have some personal experience and have researched this field in depth. Here are a few thoughts from my personal perspective.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif; font-size: 14pt;\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/leeds-list.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/shutterstock_chinese_takeaway_web-800x450.jpg\" alt=\"People sharing a Chinese takeaway\" \/><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em><span style=\"font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif; font-size: 14pt;\">Ho\u00e0ng T\u00f9ng, CEO of Pizza Home, shares his experience in the food business.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif; font-size: 14pt;\"><strong>1.\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><span style=\"font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif; font-size: 14pt;\"><strong>\u201cThe kitchen of the world\u201d\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><span style=\"font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif; font-size: 14pt;\"><strong>need a strong brand<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif; font-size: 14pt;\">Recently, as major chains such as Burger King and The KAfe stumbled, numerous articles warned about the overheated chain business and offered many \u2018recommendations.\u2019<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif; font-size: 14pt;\">In fact, fast-food restaurant chains in particular and chain businesses in general are neither bogged down nor past their prime. Chain businesses are a global trend, and in our country they are only at the beginning.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif; font-size: 14pt;\">During a visit to Vietnam, the father of modern Marketing, Professor Phillip Kotler, suggested a slogan for Vietnamese tourism: \u201cVietnam \u2013 The World's Kitchen.\u201d This is an excellent idea.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif; font-size: 14pt;\">However, beyond pride in Vietnamese cuisine's diversity, healthiness, and deliciousness, we must be practical: we need strong food brands if we truly want Vietnam to become \u201cthe world's kitchen.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif; font-size: 14pt;\"><strong>2. How do you build a brand in F&amp;B?<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif; font-size: 14pt;\">How do you build a strong food brand? The answer: building a chain is one of the most effective paths to a strong food brand.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif; font-size: 14pt;\">Some food brands operating franchises of major international brands are struggling, but in my view, the cause lies elsewhere, not in the chain operating model.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif; font-size: 14pt;\">Beyond Burger King's difficulties, we have also seen many Vietnamese brands successfully develop chains recently. Prominent examples include Golden Gate and Red Sun restaurant brands, Highland Coffee, C\u1ed9ng, Urban Station, and The Coffee House, not to mention B\u00e1nh M\u1ef3 Minh Nh\u1eadt, The Kafe, Ph\u1edf \u00d4ng H\u00f9ng, M\u00f3n Hu\u1ebf, and others\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif; font-size: 14pt;\"><strong>3. F&amp;B chains are Cultural Ambassadors<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif; font-size: 14pt;\">So the cause does not lie in the chain operating model. In fact, operating chains has long been a global trend, and we will inevitably develop along that path.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif; font-size: 14pt;\">Building chains is one of the most effective routes to strong food and beverage brands.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif; font-size: 14pt;\">The strongest international food brands all operate as chains. These food brands sometimes become ambassadors that introduce their national cultures to other countries extremely effectively.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif; font-size: 14pt;\">We see the American spirit in McDonald\u2019s or Burger King restaurants. We feel Korean culture when we step into Lotteria or BBQ Chicken. We think of Thailand when we eat at Thai Express, and so on\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif; font-size: 14pt;\"><strong>4. Expand the chain through franchising<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif; font-size: 14pt;\">The wave of international food-brand franchising has grown vigorously over the past 10 years. This model underpinned the strength of the fast-food industry throughout the 20th century. Franchising inherently reduces risks considerably compared with a company building its own processes and developing a chain with an entirely new brand.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif; font-size: 14pt;\">However, buying a franchise brings risks as well as advantages.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif; font-size: 14pt;\">Namely:<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif; font-size: 14pt;\">\u2013 Buying franchise rights for 1 country is certainly not cheap;<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif; font-size: 14pt;\">\u2013 Pressure to open enough outlets to meet the franchise agreement; franchisees usually have to commit to opening a certain number of outlets within a specified number of months.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif; font-size: 14pt;\"><strong>5. Risks in the F&amp;B business<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif; font-size: 14pt;\">The F&amp;B industry also faces other risks, such as:<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif; font-size: 14pt;\">\u2013 Rents in prime locations in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi are quite high.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif; font-size: 14pt;\">\u2013 The lease term is short.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif; font-size: 14pt;\">\u2013 Staff rarely regard restaurant service as a serious profession.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif; font-size: 14pt;\">\u2013 Transporting some food ingredients from the parent company to Vietnam is very costly, making prices at some international fast-food chains in Vietnam too high for consumers\u2019 needs.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif; font-size: 14pt;\">These are issues any international fast-food franchise must face when operating in Vietnam.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif; font-size: 14pt;\">However, there is another very obvious reason that many overlook, which I will explain in detail below.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif; font-size: 14pt;\"><strong>6. A quality product is not enough\u2026<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif; font-size: 14pt;\">Making a tastier product does not necessarily mean running a better business. Many people start food businesses after entering a packed restaurant, trying its food and finding it ordinary, believing they can cook better themselves.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif; font-size: 14pt;\">And so you go home, nurture the idea, and open a restaurant. Then, in many cases, it quietly closes, accompanied by the complaint: why is \u201ctheir\u201d place so crowded while mine has no customers, even though my food tastes better and my place is cleaner?<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif; font-size: 14pt;\">If one day you discover a burger recipe better than McDonald\u2019s BigMac, do not rush to think you have the weapon needed to build a brand like McDonald\u2019s.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif; font-size: 14pt;\">Making a tastier product does not necessarily mean running a better business. Making chicken wings tastier than KFC's is not difficult, but building an international brand like KFC, McDonald's or Burger King is extremely hard.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif; font-size: 14pt;\"><strong>7. An overall process creates strength<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif; font-size: 14pt;\">Buying a franchise and introducing a new product into a new market such as Vietnam is not easy to make successful. However, franchising is a good approach suited to many aspiring business owners.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif; font-size: 14pt;\">Put simply, many people like doing business but lack experience in managing systems, building brands, and making products. Buying a franchise from a good brand with strong management systems and training support gives franchisees a better chance of business success.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif; font-size: 14pt;\">Of course, taking on a franchise does not always bear sweet fruit. But I think the difficulties some brands that have bought international franchises face in Vietnam mainly lie in the products.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif; font-size: 14pt;\"><strong>8. Why do international giants fall?<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif; font-size: 14pt;\">So why, despite strong brands, abundant resources, and solid finances, is Burger King showing signs of slowing down, while McDonald\u2019s seems unable to achieve the pace it announced when opening its first store in Vietnam?<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif; font-size: 14pt;\">Experts attribute it to \u201coverexpansion of the chain,\u201d \u201chigh rent,\u201d and \u201cinflexible processes.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif; font-size: 14pt;\">Is it because rents are high? Then why does Lotteria rent locations just as expensive as Burger King\u2019s and still do well?<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif; font-size: 14pt;\">Is it because of \u2018overexpansion\u2019? Take a look at how many outlets Buger King has in total. Brands with the most stores, such as KFC, Pizza Hut and Highland, are still operating perfectly well. Where is their problem with \u2018expansion\u2019?<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif; font-size: 14pt;\">Or is the cause \u201cinflexible processes\u201d? In chain businesses, \u201crigorous\u201d processes are vital, rather than \u201cflexible\u201d ones. Burger King is a multinational brand with thousands of outlets. Its processes are the envy of many chain businesses; they are its greatest strength, not a weakness.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif; font-size: 14pt;\"><strong>9. My story: Catching the burger trend<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif; font-size: 14pt;\">In 2013, as signs that giant McDonald\u2019s would enter Vietnam became increasingly clear, I launched the Maxi Burger brand. I sold burgers believing that when McDonald\u2019s entered the Vietnamese market, it would \u201ceducate the market\u201d and many people would develop a taste for burgers.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif; font-size: 14pt;\">Products that suit people's tastes and eating habits remain the core and most important factor behind the success of a chain brand.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif; font-size: 14pt;\">My brand focuses on making the largest burgers\u2014one and a half times the size of Burger King's largest menu item\u2014at the same price as Burger King's large burger. My tiny store is in Royal City shopping mall, right beside a huge Carl Jr\u2019s outlet, 1 of the 5 largest burger brands in the United States.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif; font-size: 14pt;\">After a few months, Carl Jr\u2019s closed. After nearly 2 years, my burger brand also stopped operating in the shopping mall.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif; font-size: 14pt;\">The lesson I learned is that no matter how strong the brand or standardized the chain's operations, the product remains the key factor. Even with giant McDonald\u2019s entering the market, burgers are still not a favorite or everyday food for Vietnamese people.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif; font-size: 14pt;\">Therefore, when purchasing power is insufficient and the market too small, brands whose core product is burgers, such as Burger King and McDonald\u2019s, naturally face difficulties.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif; font-size: 14pt;\">Products that suit people's tastes and eating habits remain the core and most important factor behind the success of a chain brand.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif; font-size: 14pt;\">That is why burger chains have stalled while Vietnamese b\u00e1nh m\u00ec chains are flourishing and growing at a phenomenal rate.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif; font-size: 14pt;\"><strong>Collected.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif; font-size: 14pt;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/yup.edu.vn\/en\/article\/\">&gt;&gt; Great Articles on Entrepreneurship<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif; font-size: 14pt;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/yup.edu.vn\/en\/x-startup\/\">&gt;&gt; Business Startup Course<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif; font-size: 14pt;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/yup.edu.vn\/en\/kich-hoat-nang-luong-thanh-cong\/\">&gt;&gt; Success Energy Activation Course<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif; font-size: 14pt;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/yup.edu.vn\/en\/ceo-coach-chuong-trinh-tu-van-kinh-doanh\/\">&gt;&gt; Business Consulting Program<\/a><\/span><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>T\u00f4i kh\u00f4ng t\u1ef1 coi m\u00ecnh l\u00e0 m\u1ed9t chuy\u00ean gia trong l\u0129nh v\u1ef1c chu\u1ed7i nh\u00e0 h\u00e0ng hay \u0111\u1ed3 \u0103n nhanh, nh\u01b0ng t\u00f4i c\u0169ng \u0111\u00e3 c\u00f3 m\u1ed9t s\u1ed1 tr\u1ea3i nghi\u1ec7m c\u00e1 nh\u00e2n v\u00e0 t\u00ecm hi\u1ec3u s\u00e2u trong l\u0129nh v\u1ef1c n\u00e0y. \u0110\u00e2y l\u00e0 m\u1ed9t v\u00e0i chia s\u1ebb theo quan \u0111i\u1ec3m c\u00e1 nh\u00e2n. Chia s\u1ebb c\u1ee7a anh\u00a0Ho\u00e0ng T\u00f9ng\u00a0\u2013 CEO [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":11088,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[134],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11087","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-article"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/yup.edu.vn\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11087","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/yup.edu.vn\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/yup.edu.vn\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/yup.edu.vn\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/yup.edu.vn\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11087"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/yup.edu.vn\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11087\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11103,"href":"https:\/\/yup.edu.vn\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11087\/revisions\/11103"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/yup.edu.vn\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11088"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/yup.edu.vn\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11087"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/yup.edu.vn\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11087"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/yup.edu.vn\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11087"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}