Mangkok Ku, a Startup Owned by Jokowi’s Son, Is Ready to Expand to Australia

Mangkok Ku, a culinary startup from Indonesia is preparing to open new branches in Jakarta as well as outside Jakarta, including Australia. So far, the startup only has two branches in Tanjung Duren and Kota Kasablanka, Jakarta. And it is preparing now to expand.

Mangkok Ku itself is a result of a collaboration between Gibran Rakabuming and Kaesang Pangarep with Chef Arnold Poernomo. Mangkok Ku CEO, Randy Julius, said that the company targeted four new branches later this year. It should be in Sunter, North Jakarta and Living World Alam Sutera, Banten.

Expansion is planned to be more massive next year, which is outside Jakarta, including overseas. “We hope to expand more massively to Surabaya and also plan to go abroad. We will enter Sydney, Australia. We plan 25 to 30 branches in total in 2020,” Randy said.

Randy continued that the company has the vision to re-grow national culinary trends in Indonesia and abroad. With the spirit of local pride and global ambition, he hoped that culinary products offered by Mangkok Ku can be as prominent as Thai Tea owned by Thailand.

Mangkok Ku’s CEO Is Optimistic about the Startup’s Goal

“We want to bring Indonesian cuisine simpler with the concept of a rice bowl and chili topping where it can be enjoyed by all people. And we hope it can go international,” he said at the inauguration press conference of Goola x Mangkok Ku in Jakarta lately.

Randy is optimistic that his startup’s goal can be achieved by the support of some benefits offered by the products. The benefits include affordable product prices which start from IDR 19 thousand to 54 thousand. And, there is also a selection of favorite menus.

Mangkok Ku’s favorite menus include the Mangkok Brisket Onion Sauce with Onsen Egg, Mangkok Mayo Omu Egg Sausage, and Mangkok Fire Fried Chicken. Chef Arnold, who is currently living in Australia, said that the company targeted students as the target market in Australia later.

He saw that there was a great interest of Indonesian students in Sydney and Melbourne when it comes to the culinary of the country, especially those which have a home-based chili flavor. “So we are targeting students there,” he added.

In this case, Chef Arnold also explained that these Indonesian cuisines will carry out the concept of a modern restaurant. Even so, Gibran added that the company also targets consumers from the local community. He wanted people out there can recognize Indonesian cuisines better.

Mangkok Ku Hopes to Introduce Indonesia’s Unique Culinary Worldwide

“When outsiders hear sambal, they know it’s from Indonesia. When they drink ice doger, it’s also Indonesia. So, we have an identity for our country’s unique culinary,” he said. Although Mangkok Ku was only launched mid this year, Gibran said that community enthusiasm for it is quite positive.

“In one day we can issue 800 to 1,200 bowls per branch. The existence of an online motorcycle application becomes one of the great supporters for this success,” he said. He added that later the company will also carry out the concept of Grab and Go-Jek.

The reason is that Mangkok Ku is designed to be fast food that can be eaten by customers who have a short mealtime or break. This way, Mangkok Ku can be a great option for those who want to have a quick meal during the short break.

Meanwhile, Gibran who is the first son of current Indonesian President, Joko Widodo, has decided to focus on political activities. For this reason, he was ready to hand over several business units to his younger brother, Kaesang Pangarep. Thus, he could focus on his political activities.