OH MY BELLY, modern cafe and restaurant chain in Klang Valley

Western meals joints are aplenty in the Klang Valley these days. You doubtless have your personal favorite spot, however one model that has not solely been sustaining itself in the aggressive scene but additionally rising is OH MY BELLY.

Some would possibly keep in mind it as Stomach and the Chef however the enterprise additionally goes by Stomach for brief. With 5 operational retailers presently, it’s positively solidified itself as one of many notable haunts for Western cafe fare in the Klang Valley space.

Right here’s the story of the way it received its begin.

It began as a technique to survive

Director Jef Yap shouldn’t be a prepare dinner, a lot much less a chef. Previous to co-founding Stomach, he had zero expertise in F&B.

Quite, he got here from an accounting and finance background. His first job had been as a credit score analyst in a financial institution.

After a yr, nonetheless, he determined to enter building doing electrical wiring work. For the following three years, he would work as a subcontractor.

Throughout this time, he labored with one other subcontractor named Marcus Lee on some tasks. However, properly, the pandemic struck.

 “We were both jobless and broke during the beginning of the MCO,” Jef recounted.

On the time, one of many solely companies that was allowed to run was F&B, which fell below important providers. So Jef and Marcus had the thought to serve meals in order to place meals on their very own tables.

But, they have been already operating out of money at this level, so beginning a full-fledged restaurant could be unimaginable. So, they went small.

As a begin, the 2 delivered wholesome meals, believing it could be related since many individuals have been involved about their well being and wellness at that time.

Whereas doing that, they serendipitously met their chef, Vincent Hoh. Vincent boasted a wealth of expertise, having labored in the fantastic eating scene for 11 years in Macao. However like Jef and Marcus, he was struggling because of the pandemic.

The trio determined to work collectively to begin their well being meals model, and from there, Stomach started to type.

Placing good meals in folks’s bellies

As talked about, Stomach was speculated to be all about wholesome meals, however if you happen to take a look at their present menu, you’d know that isn’t precisely the case.

“After MCO period, people’s preferences went back to normal café food,” Jef defined. “So, our concept switched to modern Western food.”

Figuring out what the market needed, Stomach centered on cooking modern dishes with high quality elements, all provided inside a visually pleasing area. In different phrases, they adopted the developments—however the secret is that they did it properly.

The placement of their first outlet was fairly stylish, too—Taman OUG.

“I think we were just riding on the cafe trends during that period of time,” Jef mentioned. “We choose to open at OUG is because there were some good F&B outlets in that area. We wanted to be part of them. Moreover, the end lot is a good location for a modern shop design.”

Nevertheless, Stomach’s OUG outlet is definitely closed proper now. That’s as a result of the group is planning to rebrand with a brand new idea.

“The previous interior design was outdated,” Jef defined. “We target to reopen by end of this year.”

Talking of rebrands, why did Stomach and the Chef get lowered to simply Stomach KL or OH MY BELLY? Fortunately, there doesn’t appear to be a dramatic purpose. Quite, the group simply felt like Stomach and the Chef was too lengthy and troublesome to pronounce and keep in mind. So, OH MY BELLY it was.

Increasing as an F&B group

Receiving constructive suggestions for his or her first outlet, the Stomach group started to increase. They honed in on the idea of being a neighbourhood café, selecting to open primarily in small township areas.

“When customers ask whether we can open in certain location, we go there,” Jef shared the straightforward technique behind selecting their subsequent places.

Stomach’s 5 branches are situated in Cheras, PJ17, Menjalara, Segambut, and Mont Kiara. All retailers are self-owned, and there’s a central kitchen to take care of high quality throughout the branches.

Past simply increasing their very own model, Stomach has additionally been collaborating with Mels Group, the group behind notable F&B manufacturers like CC by Mel and Bake by Mel. Collectively, they launched Stomach & Mel, in addition to a now-inactive ZenxBelly model.

“We are exploring more collaboration between our brands,” Jef mentioned. “This synergy allows a more diverse group of customers and would improve our social presence.”

Beginning with the Stomach model because the genesis, an F&B administration firm by the title of Mads Group has additionally been fashioned. There are 5 manufacturers below the group, which comprise BellyKL, Dodoo Kitchen, Yuan Yuan Tea Fashion, Giglio, and Moments.

Jef shared that the group is presently engaged on two extra manufacturers, which can supply a extra inexpensive value vary.

“Our mission is to serve more customer with quality food and provide a memorable experience,” the director mentioned. “Mads Group will continue to build a portfolio of F&B business with a common mission.”

From broke to breaking limitations

From the sound of issues, the co-founders didn’t precisely begin Stomach out to be a well known F&B enterprise. However by means of honest efforts, they’ve managed to develop it into what it’s immediately.

Jef shared that the trio had truly began out with a capital of RM25k throughout the pandemic. However from there, they managed to get some mates to take a position into the enterprise.

From that humble begin, the group is now on monitor to hitting RM23 million in income this yr.

However as talked about, Western cafe fare is a dime a dozen in the town these days. Stomach may need been in a position to maintain and increase over time, nevertheless it takes fixed progress and effort to maintain that up.

“To be honest, it is tough,” Jef shared. “However, we will constantly maintain our food quality and keep our menu up to market trends. With the correct price point and quality service and food, then only we can stay competitive.”

Be taught extra about OH MY BELLY right here.
Learn different articles we’ve written about F&B companies right here.

Featured Picture Credit score: OH MY BELLY