Five Formulas Lead To A Successful Conversion Of Mama Fu’s Asian House (1/2)

Formula 1: Name Change to Reflect A More Comprehensive Menu Mama Fu’s Asian House was originally called Mama Fu’s Noodle House. But the name was changed and has evolved to a more definitive Pan Asian concept. The name reflects its expanded focus on vegetable based dishes that come from its five distinct cultures-Vietnamese, Korean, Thai, Chinese and Japanese. “Only about 20 percent of the menu was noodles. The name was not a reflection of what our menu was,” explains Martin Sprock, Founder and Chief, Raving Brands, Mama Fu’s strain parents. Though noodle dishes account for about 50 percent of sales, Mama Fu’s thought that they kind of limiting themselves by continuing to uphold the old brand “Noodles”. “Moving to more Pan-Asian signature dishes is a natural direction of the brand,” says Sprock. “Because this is a young category, it’s the perfect time to take a leadership position in defining our place in this Pan Asian fast casual segment.” With the new Food Pyramid being published by the Department of Agriculture, there has been a new craze for vegetable-based dishes. Mama Fu’s management has acted quickly to modify the restaurant’s menu to reflect the trend, and to cater to the needs of customers. Specifically, Mama Fu’s has added three new vegetable entrees: Its Thai Green Bean with Almond features wok-seared green beans and yellow onions with toasted almonds in chili garlic soy. A second Thai addition, Thai Cashew Stir Fry, is a vegetable favorite with broccoli, carrots, mushrooms, red bell peppers, water chestnuts and zucchini with toasted cashews served in chili soy with a hint of garlic. Stepping out of Thai, Mama Fu’s adds a Korean Cashew with a distinct Korean pepper sauce with sugar snap peas, cashews and carrots over Napa cabbage. In addition to the new entrees, Mama Fu’s expanding its salad line to feature a Shrimp Salad which includes spring mix lettuce with shitake mushrooms, cucumbers and Manda?rin oranges tossed with a raspberry vinai?grette, topped with toasted almonds and crisp rice sticks. With “Pan Asian” and “Vegetables” as two distinct features in market positioning, Mama Fu’s silently and the results have been an impressive increase of sales. Formula 2: Kid’s Friendly Strategy Brings The Familly Mama Fu’s has recently put out two new kids meals – 1) Dragon Tails, a chicken ten?ders with macaroni and cheese entrée and 2) Scooby “Fu”, a honey chicken with macaroni and cheese dish to offer an expanded menu for the entire family. our business,” explains one manager of Mama Fu’s “When we add new entrée items, expanding choices for the little ones is smart business. Mama Fu’s offers families the perfect adult evening. Kids love the food. Parents love the choice in rich ethnic dishes. Thus we retain the whole family. Formula 3: Affordable Price Mama Fu’s has an average entrée price of $6.99. Mama Fu’s even offers a $ 2.99 kids menu including Ninja Noodles, a Teriyaki chicken entrée with egg noodles and a beverage. Formula 4: Focus on Food Sales & On-Premise Customers In Mama Fu’s food sales responsible for about 97 percent of overall sales, unlike at Pei Wei, wine and beverage sales accounts for about 16 percent of sales, according to that company’s securities filings. Takeout represents up to 35 percent of sales, but the restaurants do not offer delivery. They focus on the “dine-in customers”, thus have more time and attention to provide high quality service to that group of customers who have come to dine at the facility, or to pick up orders. and make them satisfied. Formula 5. Laughter: The “Happy Mood” Dining Experience When customers enter the restaurant, cooks on the exhibition wok line shout out “Come to Mama” similar to the welcome greeting that customers at sushi bars usually receive.