From engineer to restaurateur

WHEN Mohd Zuhri Abdullah was studying in Britain back in the early 1980s, there was little indication that he will be back one day as a businessman with two restaurants to his name. Cooking was just not one of his strong points.

A chemical engineer by training, he seems to enjoy doing various types of business and his career profile attests to that.

Zuhri describes himself as a contractor for interior decor work among a host of other things in his early years. He was in marketing, a trader and was managing director of a couple of companies. Until last year, he was also the vice-chairman for the Franchise Advisory Board and the Malaysian Franchise Association.

His involvement in London's two Jom Makan restaurants came when he was a director with Perbadanan Nasional Bhd (PNS).

In 2006, the Malaysian government wanted to launch a Malaysia Kitchen Programme as part of the country's branding mission. The Economic Planning Unit (EPU), Entrepreneur and Cooperative Development Ministry (MeCD) and PNS were involved and one of the propositions tossed about was a restaurant concept that was easily duplicated and franchiseable.

Zuhri volunteered and presented his proposal to have an outlet offering Malaysian hawker fare like nasi lemak, roti canai, satay and other popular fare found in every street corner in Malaysia. He says he had previously done some market studies on food and beverage outlets run by Malaysians, or were Malaysian-related, but most of them were Chinese food and did not reflect the diversity of the country. EPU set aside RM20 million (about $28 million) to spearhead this government initiative and make that concept a reality in the heart of London city itself.

Zuhri took several months to check out the various locations and settled on a former bank in Pall Mall East, near Trafalgar Square.

He turned that former bank lobby into a restaurant named Jom Makan, the first of two in London. He took out a 25-year lease for the place which can seat 130.

Jom Makan does not offer fast-food, but it is one step below a speciality restaurant, he says. The renovation cost RM7 million at a time when the the ringgit was RM7 to £1.

That restaurant was launched in June 2008 by Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, then the Deputy Prime Minister. In a cosmopolitan city like London, where eateries to suit every conceivable taste bud abound, Zuhri hired 10 rickshaws to go around Piccadily and Oxford Circus for one month promoting Jom Makan.

"I had promised the Malaysian government that the outlet would break even in 18 months, half the duration for a food and beverage (F&B) in this category," he says.

When the Westfield Mall in Shepherds Bush, touted to be the largest mall in Europe with 1.6 million sq ft of retail space, invited Zuhri to take up space, his business antenna went up. (Suria KLCC has 1.04 million sq ft of retail space.)

Yes, he took out a 25-year lease! And the second Jom Makan started business in October 2009. Recently, Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin visited the place when he launched the Malaysia Kitchen Concept 2010 to promote awareness on Malaysian cuisine.

That second outlet involved an investment of RM5 million, which also came from the initial RM20 million provided by EPU. The rental deposit for both outlets came up to almost RM2 million.

The menu development is ongoing. During the initial period, two chefs were brought in to find out the best way to prepare the food in a fast and efficient manner. Some of the dishes were also modified in order to suit the British palate.

Under the Malaysia Kitchen Concept programme, the menu, the supply of ingredients and how the meals were to be prepared were already spelled out. "There are a set of standard operating procedures, which is why Jom Makan chefs come from around the world. The idea was to have a concept that can be replicated," he says.

Both outlets run on a staff strength of about 60, of whom four are Malaysians. In April 2008, MeCD suggested he take over the business on a private basis and Zuhri agreed to take a 55 per cent stake in Jom Malaysia UK Ltd at a cost of RM11 million. Because he did not have the resources, he sought the help of PNS for a loan as the agency also disburses loans for entrepreneurs. The remaining 45 per cent is held by PNS.

"People say I got the business for free, that I had received a grant. But I had to borrow the RM11 million from PNS to acquire Jom Malaysia UK Ltd, which operated, managed and owned the two restaurants."

The opening of the second outlet helped the company to break even despite it being operational less than a year. Encouraged by the success, Zuhri is now embarking on the third Jom Malaysia in Stratford where the 2012 Olympics will be held. This is expected to be operational by September 2011.

Zuhri aims to have a total of five outlets by 2012 and move the concept to the US after that. After nearly two years, the Pall Mall East outlet has a revenue of about £700,000 while the Shepherds Bush outlet £1.3 million. "We will break even if we are able to have a revenue of £2 million. Call it gastronomy tourism. I am promoting the country!" he says.

The Star/ANN