How do you win in the very competitive fried chicken market?
When Mark Gerald Ong, or OMG as he prefers, and his business partners Jeff Sy and Jefferson Uy were on a holiday in South Korea, they got an idea after trying out the country’s fried chicken. The trio noted it was perfectly seasoned, crunchy and crispy, popular, and, most importantly, affordable.
They explored this idea and immediately went into action, taking advantage of lower costs of domestic overhead and local ingredients. In 2017, they opened the first branch of 24 Chicken along Leon Guinto Street in Vito Cruz, Manila, catering to students of De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde, where OMG graduated, and other schools in the area.
“We want everyone to savor what good-tasting fried chicken should be, at a reasonable price. This can only be done not by cutting costs through below standard ingredients and by not overpricing our menu,” said OMG.
The formula was a success. The very first outlet turned to 18 all over Metro Manila and in Davao and Tacloban, plus locations in three Grab Kitchens. 24 Chicken became a sought-after franchise, thanks to word-of-mouth, social media, and loyal patrons.
According to 24 Kitchen, the business’ success has spawned several other Korean fried chicken competitors.
Right now, OMG and his partners are working hard to make sure the business operates and their people are safe during the pandemic. “The most challenging part of the pandemic is not the loss of sales, as our supportive customers are still ordering take-away. The real challenge for us is how to safeguard our staff during this pandemic,” he revealed.
OMG added, “We made sure they would be safe by strictly following the standard health and safety protocols. If we felt that we were exposing our crew and customers, we are ready to close our branches.”
24 Chicken may have found the secret to enter and flourish in a very competitive market. But it would not achieve its accomplishment if the idea (that sprung in Korea) was not turned into action.
“Action is needed. If not, everything is simply a hallucination.”