Would you like fries with that, sir?<\/p>\n
By Rita A. Widiadana<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Hundreds of people willingly stood in line for
\nhours when Jakarta's first McDonald's outlet opened four years
\nago.<\/p>\n
What did they expect under the lionized golden arches? It
\nserved the same stuff as other fast-food franchises already
\noperating in town. But McDonald's beefburgers, cheeseburgers,
\nFilet-o-Fish, french fries, fried chicken, apple pies, sundaes
\nand specialty Big Mac drew them in.<\/p>\n
\"There's nothing special in the taste of their burgers, we
\nwere just curious to try fast food in this famous chain,\" said
\none customer when the restaurant opened in l991.<\/p>\n
Now, McDonald's Indonesia has 38 restaurants in the big cities
\nof Java and Bali. The original outlet in Sarinah on Jl. M.H.
\nThamrin serves an average of 8,000 people a day, while other
\noutlets are visited by more than a thousand customers daily.<\/p>\n
\"I come here often. It is strategically located, the service
\nis good, it is clean and the atmosphere is pleasant,\" a regular
\nat the Sarinah restaurant said.<\/p>\n
McDonald's rapid development is inseparable from 44-year-old
\nBambang Nuryatno Rachmadi. Its success has made Bambang one of
\nthe country's top franchise holders.<\/p>\n
\"We want to offer the best food, best service and best
\nenvironment which are in line with McDonald's motto Good Taste,
\nGreat Time,\" Bambang explained.<\/p>\n
Bambang gave up a banking career, he was the president of Pan
\nIndonesia (Panin) Bank when he was 35, to run the restaurant
\nchain.<\/p>\n
\"I felt that there was no challenge left for me anymore in the
\nbanking world. It was time for me to fight in other fields,\"
\nBambang said during a recent interview with The Jakarta Post at
\nhis office.<\/p>\n
He chose running a restaurant because it is considered a
\ncaptive market, hard sell and labor intensive. He began applying
\nfor the franchise license from McDonald's. It was a difficult
\nfight. Nearly 13,000 Indonesian businesspeople had applied for
\nthe license since the early 1980s.<\/p>\n
Bambang had to compete with 39 other strong contenders from
\nIndonesia for the license.<\/p>\n
\"I told the McDonald's management that my competitors were
\nreputable businessmen in Indonesia. In financial terms, I am not
\ncomparable with them but I have the brains, the strong will and
\nvision to run a restaurant franchise,\" Bambang said.<\/p>\n
A graduate of the School of Economics at the University of
\nIndonesia, Bambang continued his studies in international banking
\nand finance at Saint Mary's Graduate School of Business Moraga
\nand John F. Kennedy University Orinda. Both are in California,
\nUnited States.<\/p>\n
A year passed without news from McDonald's, Bambang
\nremembered.<\/p>\n
\"I was surprised that McDonald's finally allowed me to take
\npart in the company's training program at the McDonald's office
\nin Singapore,\" he said.<\/p>\n
All franchise hopefuls must take a course on management and
\non-the-job experience.<\/p>\n
\"I did everything from studying management to cleaning the
\nkitchen and toilets. It was really a new and worthy experience,\"
\nhe said.<\/p>\n
Many participants failed the training they considered
\nfrustrating and \"brainless\".<\/p>\n
The programs, Bambang added, trained people in running a
\nrestaurant and taught them to appreciate each job. Such a
\nbusiness takes teamwork, Bambang explained.<\/p>\n
The training helped franchise holders apply the theory and
\nskills in their own countries.<\/p>\n
Although he passed the course, Bambang didn't automatically
\nget the license. It took two years before McDonald's granted him
\nthe franchise for Indonesia.<\/p>\n
\"My heart filled with gratitude to God when I heard the news.
\nIt was really His work that showed me this path,\" the father of
\nthree teenage children insisted.<\/p>\n
He started his restaurant business under PT Ramako Gerbang Mas
\nand opened the first McDonald's in Sarinah.<\/p>\n
PT Ramako invested Rp 5 billion (US$2.5 million) in the
\nfranchise. The company employed 300 crew and managers in its
\nfirst year.<\/p>\n
\"Creative, innovative and consistent are key factors for us to
\nachieve our target,\" commented Bambang, who loves Harley Davidson
\nmotorcycles.<\/p>\n
All crew and staff are required to undergo special training
\nfor each position.<\/p>\n
\"Human resource development is urgent in our company. Our
\nemployees are our valuable assets,\" Bambang said, echoing the
\ncompany's line.<\/p>\n
\"We are happy to absorb high school graduates as our major
\nworkforce. They don't have to worry about their career. We have
\nset up professional career planning. They can reach various top
\npositions provided that they work hard,\" he elaborated.<\/p>\n
Citing an example, Bambang said that one McDonald's crew (the
\nlowest rank in the organization) was recently promoted as an
\nassistant manager in only 30 months.<\/p>\n
He explained that this employee, a high school graduate, took
\npart in various managerial training programs. The company also
\nsends its workers abroad to attend a workshops, seminars and
\ntraining. The number of employees has increased from only 300 in
\nl991 to 3,800 today. Over 85 percent of them are high school
\ngraduates.<\/p>\n
Bambang commented he still has much work to do to improve the
\nrestaurants as well as his employee's welfare.<\/p>\n
\"But, I am very thankful to my family, my staff, my friends
\nand my customers. They are the people behind my success,\" Bambang
\nsaid.<\/p>",
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"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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