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Motto Yakiniku Restaurant,Taichung,Taiwan |
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What made the president, who opened 120 outlets in ten years,
purchase Shinpo grills in bulk? |
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 INKISM International Group with annual revenue of 480,000,000 Taiwanese dollars (approximately 14,580,000 U.S. dollars)．
Mr. Peck is in charge of overall management and Mrs. Peck is in charge of planning and business development for the ten business brands.
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There are young, outstanding entrepreneurs in Taiwan who seem likely to dominate the food service industry. Mr. George Peck, CEO of INKISM International Group, is one of these entrepreneurs who has risen to prominence. Mr. Peck is only 32 years old. He opened his first restaurant at the age of 23 and has expanded his business into 120 outlets in ten years, opening an eatery at a rate of one every month. He has established ten business brands and operates them using a franchise system throughout Taiwan that he created on his own. Recently, Mr. Peck has made his way to mainland China and is constantly attracting interest from companies in Asia. Mr.Peck, the entrepreneur, has placed a bulk order for 150 Shinpo grills. |
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An eager 23-year-old businessman, who witnessed the hard life of his grandfather
since his childhood, rapidly expanded the business with his wife at his side.
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Q1: What made you choose Shinpo grills?
A1: I used grills made in Taiwan at the first restaurant, but they often broke down and had safety issues including frequent gas leaks. Operational losses from idle grills was not small at all. For that reason, I replaced all grills with Shinpo grills which were used at many successful restaurants in Taichung. Also, Shinpo's marketing staff offfered technical and detailed advice and services. This is very important for business owners. Shinpo staff clarifies all questions I have on the spot by phone. Speed is crucial for our buisness.
Q2: How come you purchased 150 units at one time?
A2: Again, speed is crucial in this business. Of course, it is important to be cautious, but there is no advantage to put off action without good reasons. The Japanese BBQ business is highly profitable and produces the second highest revenue among my nine business entities. I decided long ago to make Japanese BBQ the core business of the group. I am well aware that grills are crucial to the Japanese BBQ business. I once chose grills made in Taiwan based on price, but that was mistake. With a lesson from that mistake, I needed to procure important grills in the early stage in order to .expand my Japanese business as planned.
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Q3: Isn't it too young to start your own business at the age of 23?
A3: Exactly. When I set up my own company, my father did not provide any funds because I was too young. I was interested in food and had a dream of becoming a business owner because I had seen my grandfather's financial hardship since childhood. He made a living by farming on land borrowed from the local land owner. No matter how hard he worked, he could never be able to create a good life from brorowed land. That agony and frustration made a big impression on me.
Q4: Was it easy to set up your business?
A4: I sold Bubble Juice as a part-time job when I was a student. I worked two years then opened my own food stall and sold Bubble Juice on a street corner at a night market together with my wife. The first month didn't go well at all, but as we gave out samples, the number of customers increased. At first, we didn't have enough money, so I delivered newspapers in the morning. After a part-time job during the day, I worked putting advertising inserts in newspapers in the evening. Sales increased steadily at the Bubble Juice stall, and six months later, we leased a shop at a corner in the night market to start full-scale operation of our Bubble Juice business. For food stalls,if it rained, we could not open for business. Sometimes, the police would come and order the stall moved. |
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Q5: Why was Bubble Juice so popular?
A5: My Bubble Juice was a little different from the juice I sold in my part-time job. I added shaved ice so people could enjoy the texture by chewing. I thought juice just to drink wasn't enough.
Q6: Why did you start your Japanese BBQ business?
A6: Both my wife and I love Japanese BBQ and visit Osaka to enjoy this tasty dish three or four times a year. So, to open a Japanese BBQ restaurant as early as possible was our dream. To tell you the truth, the restaurant name, "Motto" was inspired by the Japanese word "motto" (meaning more, better or further in English)." We chose the Chinese characters "牧島" to represent motto as in " I would like to eat more, and " I would like my guests to enjoy more." This is also my business philosophy, such as "I would like to expand business further", " I would like to offer better service to my guests," and "I would like to serve more delicious dishes." A Japanese word that we encountered on the day we were enjoying Japanese BBQ in Osaka is now our core philosophy. |
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Photo on left: Mr. Peck's first shop, which was moved from a food stall. The couple came up with the idea of adding shaved ice, and the beverage was a hit. Photo on right : Thirty employees from a branch of a cell phone carrier gather at Motto. They know the difference between Korean-style BBQ and Japanese-style BBQ. The party organizer (the woman on the left in the photo) chose Motto Yakiniku Restaurant for Japanese-style BBQ to enjoy quality beef. She commented "I really appreciate the smoke free setting. I cannot invite my co-workers to a restaurant with a greasy smell." |
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