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Street food goes "big box"


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Cheaper, cleaner, better

 

FAST FOOD: Dutch-Chinese entrepreneur launches SameSame brand

 

KANANA KATHARANGSIPORN

 

 

"We're penetrating a segment worth about 3.5 billion baht annually, so we set our prices at 39 baht a meal to compete with traditional street foods," says Mr Boen, showing off one of his colourful SameSame stalls.

Ask any foreign tourist, and he or she will tell you that Thailand is famous for the quality and variety of its street food.

 

As well, the ubiquitous sights and aromas of dishes being prepared for waiting customers are evidence of the immense popularity of sidewalk vendor food among Thais, due largely to fact that it is inexpensive, convenient and, most of all, delicious.

 

Despite all of its advantages, most street food connoisseurs readily admit that they every now and then suffer an adverse digestive reaction from their culinary adventures.

 

In response to such concerns about standards of hygiene, Franz Boen, a former re-engineering consultant for leading organisations in Asia and Thailand, has introduced branded street food.

 

Dubbed SameSame, the trademark promises quality Thai and Asian food prepared to high standards of cleanliness for 39 baht a meal.

 

According to his own research into Thailand's food industry, some eight billion food transactions were made last year with 72% representing the street food market. Almost two-thirds of this segment, or 62%, set the price per dish at 40 baht, said Mr Boen.

 

``We're penetrating a segment worth about 3.5 billion baht annually, so we set our prices at 39 baht a meal to compete with street foods,'' he said.

 

The company aims to apply the strengths of the wildly successful fast food business model, while avoiding the weaknesses of street food. The result is cheap and clean food for consumers.

 

``KFC offers an expensive meal but it's clean. Its menus are so-so, but it has fast service and consistent quality. Street food stalls provide a cheap meal with good taste, but lack consistency and are less hygienic,'' he said.

 

SameSame, set up in July last year with an investment of eight million baht, launched its first 60 outlets in October.

 

Each outlet is towed by motorbike to the point of sale, generally in high-traffic areas such as office buildings, some branches of the LeaderPrice discount store chain, and outside food courts. The outlets serve breakfast from 6-11 am and lunch from 10:30 am to 3:30 pm every day. To increase market exposure, different locations are used for weekdays and weekends.

 

Added to the concept of ``same hygiene'' and ``same quality'' is the company's pledge to prepare consistently good food for every meal, said Mr Boen.

 

SameSame offers a variety of Thai-Asian dishes including pork satay, spicy fish curry, chicken and vegetable curry, and Balinese vegetable salad.

 

Customers can choose three dishes served with rice in a set meal with a sealed cup of drinking water. All sets are served in a take-away box made of waterproof paper.

 

``Our meals are always served hot because each mobile outlet has a thermostatically controlled hot water circulation system to keep food warm, powered by gas and electricity. We also provide a mobile catering service with a minimum order of 4,000 baht for 100 boxes,'' the 45-year-old Dutch-Chinese re-engineering veteran said.

 

SameSame has made use of unique marketing strategies to build customer awareness. Last month, it distributed small paper boxes featuring the SameSame logo with nothing inside but a 15-baht coupon, redeemable at its stalls, in front of Times Square on Sukhumvit Road near the LeaderPrice store.

 

Mr Boen said the campaign was an effective as a word-of-mouth marketing tool, as many people were intrigued and tried to find the outlets.

 

The company plans to raise brand awareness by launching a full promotional campaign this month. It plans to hire people to walk around crowded places such as BTS skytrain stations, while pretending to read a tabloid-sized newspaper with a huge SameSame advertisement on the back. Also, some celebrity presenters will be recruited to eat SameSame dishes along popular thoroughfares such as Silom and Sukhumvit roads.

 

By mid-year, the company expects to sign a deal with three major petrol station brands to put SameSame kiosks on their lots, he said, but refused to disclose the names.

 

Currently, the company has 65 outlets with daily average sales of 97 boxes each. It expects to have a total of 300 outlets and kiosks in Bangkok with targeted daily sales of a hundred boxes per outlet.

 

Plans are afoot to expand to high-potential provinces such as Phuket, Udon Thani, Chon Buri and Chiang Mai, as well as Malaysia and China.

 

The company is also expected to receive a ``Clean Food, Good Taste'' certificate from the Public Health Ministry this month, he said.

 

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