On Thursday (Mar 19), we reported about the sudden closure of Uncle Roger’s Restaurant at IPC Shopping Centre, which took many by surprise.
The restaurant has since come forward with an official statement regarding the outlet’s closure, along with its plans for the future.
Fast expansion to blame?
In the statement, the restaurant chain confirmed that its outlet at IPC Shopping Centre has indeed called it a day after a year in operations.
It then went on to explain the factors that caused it to shut down.
When we started Fuiyoh It’s Uncle Roger 1.5 years ago, we grew too quickly, and in our rush to capitalise on early momentum, we signed leases in locations that weren’t the right fit.
“IPC outlet’s seating was mostly outdoors, it was always humid and uncomfortable, many customers would complain about the lack of aircon. We heard this feedback from customers regularly, and we saw it firsthand.”
However, the restaurant chain said it’s not placing the blame of the closure on the venue, adding that the F&B industry was “unforgiving” and conceded that compounding it with “difficult environmental factors” turned into an insurmountable obstacle.
As for the staff who previously worked at the IPC outlet, they have already received full severance.
Will focus on quality
The restaurant chain also added that it will be pivot its attention towards improving its perceived value among customers, writing:
“We’re also taking a hard look at perceived value. In the past, customers have commented that for the price they were paying, they didn’t feel like they were getting enough value from a meal of mostly fried rice.
“We’ve been reworking our menu and how we build each dish, so that at the same price point, you’re getting more – a protein, a side, something to make the meal feel complete.
“These new menu items will also go beyond just fried rice, more on this to be announced soon.”
The restaurant chain said it will also downsize operations and its team, something it admitted it should have done from the beginning.
Currently, five outlets remain at Pavilion Bukit Bintang, MyTown, JB Midvalley Southkey, Central I-City, and KLIA2.
Read the full statement here:
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