What-Franchise-Issue-20.1

Appetite for exploring East Asian cultures is at an all-time high. But how are franchise brands balancing authenticity with market demands? And why has the UK become the location of choice for European expansion? WHO ARE THE BRANDS BRIDGING CONTINENTS IN THE UK MARKET? franchise rights to the UK was bought by Zaf Holdings, the owner of several Pizza Huts, KFCs, and Starbucks. Now, led by CEO Arif Jivraj, the brand is hoping to revamp the location and expand across the country, while staying true to the business’ American Chinese heritage. “It’s very authentic in the way the brand grew from a mother and son concept,” says Arif. “Philip Chang then took that and made it more accessible in a street food concept. And then Peter Fleming came in and took that into a branded concept.” For the business this has meant creating a fine balance between presenting something fresh and appealing to UK consumers while also retaining the heart of the brand. The dishes in particular are intrinsic to the P.F. Chang’s dual heritage. As a result, the brand was hesitant to touch this part of the offering. “Our menu items that started in 1993 are still the same menu items that we have today and how we serve them today is the same 30 years later” explains Arif. “We’re Pan-Asian cuisine because these are the recipes that we have offered over the years.” The restaurant serves Chinese dishes such as prawn wonton and spring rolls as well as best sellers such as Mongolian beef and dynamite shrimp.While they retain the bold flavours of traditional dishes, they have been tailored to customer taste buds, which is a common reflection of immigrant cuisine. For example, when Chinese takeaways began to boom in the 1970s, chips made their way onto the menu because many entrepreneurial families had taken over old fish and chip shops. It’s this amalgamation of cultures, reflected on P.F. Chang’s menu, that Arif believes creates an inclusive space for people to feel comfortable trying new things. “I think people misunderstand what the brand stands for,” he says. “We have a lot of Chinese dishes that make up the majority of the menu, but we still offer Japanese style food, Korean, and Thai. I think it’s a very safe environment to go and try different things.” Zaf Holdings has aimed to renew the brand through a complete redesign of its restaurant ritish consumers are becoming more travelled, and society is becoming more multi-cultural. As a result, a variety of businesses inspired by cultures from around the world are gracing our shores, and among them are East Asian businesses looking to expand across the country via franchising. For many of these businesses, despite Brexit, the UK is a necessary launchpad to access other European markets. As a result, we’re likely to see more East Asian brands with ambitious growth plans roll out franchise opportunities to those in the UK. However, loss of brand consistency and quality control can sometimes emerge from these scaling plans – a troublesome issue especially when many of the products on offer are so closely tied to their origin cultures. So, how are expanding brands getting this right? And how are they tailoring their brand to the British marketplace? P. F. Chang’s On the corner of London’s Chinatown sits P.F. Chang’s – a Pan-Asian restaurant that has presided over Leicester Square since 2017. Earlier this year, the location along with the master B SECTOR SPECIFIC Food and beverage has been one of the most popular sectors for Asian brands. The UK’s market size is estimated to be worth £17.8 billion and there are currently 90,000 licenced food and drink premises as a whole across the UK, according to Statista. INDUSTRY GROWTH Many East-Asian focused brands have been looking for franchisees. These include WL Group, YO! Sushi, Kokodoo, Chop & Wok, Oodles, and You Me Sushi. EDUCATION AND TRAINING Brands with strong cultural identities often tie cultural education into their franchisee training. This means you’ll likely learn about the broader significance of your services or products. B U S I N E S S W I S E I M P O R T I N G A S I A 48 WHAT FRANCHISE Issue 20.1