http://www.wnd.sg
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A STEPPING STONE
Kenny Leung, business development manager of Imperial
Treasure, concurs that Singapore’s standing as a leading dining
destination provides a good stepping stone for restarts and
F&B brands to venture into the international culinary scene.
Having already cemented its position as a leading restaurant
group within Asia offering quality Chinese fine dining
experiences, Imperial Treasure has ventured into Europe,
opening up a restaurant in London at the end of last year.
They are also looking to open their first restaurant in Paris
later this year.
Leung expounds, “Singapore, being a global destination
not just for dining but for businesses, helped give us
confidence that our cuisine and offerings would work well
in other countries as well. We get lots of customer feedback
and these have given us more confidence to venture into the
international scene. London is one of the food capitals of
the world and we are really excited to bring our offerings to
Londoners and the cosmopolitan population there. Many of
our existing customers from our Asian restaurants also dine
with us when they are in London.”
Pynt points out, “When you have really good restaurants,
ideas or concepts, they get picked up on really quickly.” But as
all restaurateurs and chefs know, many elements need to fall
into place to ensure a successful overseas venture.
“The association of having an established brand from
Singapore lends a good degree of credibility in terms of
prestige and quality. So when the opportunity presented itself
and the timing and elements in place were right, KL was a
rather ‘safe’ choice for us,” says Stroobant. “The business
expansion increases the visibility of our brand both in
Singapore and in the region. It is an opportunity for members
of our staff in terms of career advancement as they take a new
role and responsibilities in the new outlet. Also, it forces us the
streamline and better our existing internal process in all facets
of our operations.”
Having helmed Odette for four years and guiding it to
attain two Michelin stars and the top position on Asia’s 50
Best Restaurant list, Royer felt that it was a good time for him
to start something new elsewhere, especially since Odette’s
restaurant operations are smooth and stable. “[Advancing
my culinary career in] Singapore definitely helped me to be
who I am today, to grow as a chef, and ultimately offered me
the possibility to expand regionally. We received a number of
propositions to expand the business but I wanted to wait for
the right proposition and that’s based on the right partners
and the human factor,” he notes.
“Opening a restaurant overseas always helps [to bring
about brand awareness],” he adds. “I did quite a few dinner
collaborations overseas, which attracted new groups of diners
from different countries. Since travelling is so much easier and
affordable nowadays, those guests who tried my food at these
overseas dinners are very likely to put Odette on their bucket
list and help us generate more business back in Singapore.”
