https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xICWmQbWT0ISingaporeans Start Fast-Food Chain In North Korea
The North Korean regime had banned fast food for the longest time, labelling it as evil Western “imperialist influences”.
But things changed in 2009 when 3 Singaporeans decided to open the first fast food restaurant in the isolated country.
The seed for this unusual business relationship was planted over 33 years ago, when Mr Quek Chek Lan first started doing business with the hermit kingdom. His company, Aetna Group, was trading steel and minerals with the North Koreans, and they eventually invited him to invest in their country.
Mr Quek agreed and roped in Mr Timothy Tan, a businessman whom he met 8 years ago in Shanghai. The duo established a new company, Simpyong International, and started going through a list of possible developments. They initially wanted to open a supermarket, but later settled on a fast-food restaurant due to a complete lack of competition.
However, with zero experience in the fast food industry, they enlisted the help of Mr Patrick Soh, who was then operating two Waffletown USA franchises in Singapore, located at Balmoral Plaza and Ngee Ann Polytechnic.
The North Koreans actually sent four delegates to test the food at the former before approving the project.
In November 2008, the three Singaporean partners began making trips to North Korea to set up their flagship store and train the local staff. One year and US$200,000 later, Samtaesong, or Three Big Stars, was born.
Located at the Kumsong Intersection in Pyongyang, it mainly serves burgers, which the North Korean government refers to as “minced beef with bread” to mask their American origins. Samtaesong also sells fried chicken, french fries, hotdogs, Belgian waffles and even draught beer.
Its cheapest burger starts at €1.20 (S$1.90), while the fried chicken is the most expensive item on the menu at €3 (S$4.70).
Oh, gloves are also kindly provided so you don’t dirty your hands, by the way. Perhaps our local KFCs could look into adopting such a practice?
While the kitchen equipment, waffle mix and seasoning for the chicken were imported from Singapore, Samtaesong’s recipes are adapted to suit the locals’ tastebuds. The coleslaw has been substituted with kimchi (Korean pickled cabbage), and every burger comes with more vegetables as the government “hates the idea of junk food”, according to Mr Quek.
Topic: We've got the option on the first Whataburger in Pyongyang, Al. (Read 1954 times)
