Fast, fiery Padang restaurants fit the bill

By Stevie Emilia

JAKARTA (JP): Pinched for time for a bite to eat, but your taste buds tired of the same old fast-food meals?

For a taste of tradition served up quickly, try a Minang restaurant. No sooner have you sat down than an assortment of dishes are laid before you. There is no need to order, or hide the embarrassment of a grumbling stomach in an interminable wait for the food to materialize.

The popularity of the restaurants, better known simply as Padang restaurants after the capital of West Sumatra, cannot be denied. The convenience is one attraction, matched by the variety of spicy food and affordable prices.

"I like coming here not only because this restaurant is close to my office, but also because I can have a different menu whenever I come here," a state bank employee, Suhardjo, said after lunch at Sederhana Padang restaurant in Bendungan Hilir, Central Jakarta.

He said taste was also a priority because "I don't want to spend my money on lousy food even though its cheaper".

Easily recognizable by the deftly balanced stack of plates enticingly displayed in the front window, Minang restaurants boast a wide variety of food, from the trademark rendang (beef stewed in coconut milk and spices) to ayam bakar (grilled chicken), gulai ikan (fish in curry sauce) and udang goreng (fried shrimp).

The owner of the Sederhana restaurant chain, Gustaman, said people enjoyed eating in Minang restaurants because of the tasty food, cleanliness, fast and friendly service and, most importantly, a bill that would not take a bite out of their pocketbook.

"You can't have a delicious meal in other restaurants for a mere Rp 5,000," the 58-year-old native of Lintau, Batusangkar, in West Sumatra told the Post.

First set up in 1974 inside Bendungan Hilir Market in Central Jakarta, Sederhana now has 20 outlets throughout the city, with the busiest in Rawamangun, East Jakarta.

Although unwilling to disclose his profits, Gustaman said that each of his restaurants might serve up to 500 customers on busy days.

Sharing his tips for success, Gustaman said that a successful restaurant did not rely solely on big investment.

"It's wrong to think that running a restaurant needs huge investment. My experience taught me that an owner should know every detail, from the cooking of the food up to its management, or he will be tricked by his workers. By knowing every important detail, your workers will not treat you as they like or think you can't go on without them," said the elementary school graduate.

One of the best and oldest Minang restaurants in town, Natrabu, also enjoys a lucrative business amid strong competition with other restaurants of its ilk and the mushrooming of fast food eateries.

"Some customers like to try something new. But in our own experience it's only for a while. In the end, they will return to their favorite restaurant," said the director of the Natrabu restaurant chain, Ganefo Dewi Sutan.

"Besides, hungry Indonesians don't feel sated without rice on their plate. They eat burgers, but eventually they will scramble for rice."

Natrabu, established by Ganefo's father, Rahimi Sutan, in 1964, has three outlets in the capital and another in Sanur, Bali, which opened in 1998 when the country was still in the throes of the economic crisis.

Its main outlet on Jl. H. Agus Salim, better known as Jl. Sabang, in Central Jakarta now serves over 200 customers on busy workdays and averages Rp 10 million in daily turnover.

Apart from the restaurant, Natrabu also runs a tour agency, money changer, haj trip service and offers traditional Minang wedding packages at its outlet.

"If God wishes, we will open more outlets after the economy recovers," said Ganefo, who studied hotel management in Switzerland and has been with the restaurant for eight years.

Minang restaurants are easily found in busy business districts in major cities and as far afield as neighboring countries like Singapore, Malaysia and Brunei.

Without much fanfare, Minang restaurants, such as Sari Ratu, have also entered large shopping malls to compete with foreign fast-food restaurants.

In Plaza Senayan, for instance, it has an outlet in the third- floor food court and a restaurant in its basement.

"If I'm not mistaken, Sari Ratu now has four outlets in food courts and six restaurants," said Suyitno, head of the restaurant in Plaza Senayan.

He believed the restaurant, which opened its doors in 1983, could survive tight competition.

"Our outlet at the food court here is always busy although it is situated next to fast-food restaurants," said Suyitno, a native of Wonosari, Yogyakarta, who started in the restaurant as a cleaning service employee in 1985.

The Sari Ratu restaurant in Plaza Senayan serves around 120 customers per day, "but our outlet at the food court serves more customers", Suyitno said.

Popular

Food served up in Minang restaurants is not only loved by locals from all walks of life, but also by adventurous foreigners not averse to the spice of life.

Ganefo said that her father, who uses his mother's original recipes for Natrabu's dishes, is a stickler about quality.

"In our restaurant, food is a really sensitive issue and we perform routine quality control checks. My father can identify whether a food is good or not by tasting it. He also knows that not all of his customers, especially foreigners, love hot, spicy food," said the mother of three.

"Our food is not very hot, because we don't use too much chili, but this does not diminish its genuine taste."

Some Padang restaurants, like Natrabu and Sari Ratu, cook their food in one kitchen and then distribute it to outlets in the same town for efficiency and to ensure quality control. Others, like Sederhana restaurant, cook all their food in respective restaurants to ensure its freshness.

Apart from its outlet in Bali, Natrabu cooks all its food in its main restaurant on Jl. Sabang before distributing it to its outlets in the Menteng area and Lippo in Jl. Sudirman. Sari Ratu also has one kitchen in Cipete in South Jakarta.

At Sederhana restaurant, Gustaman personally takes care of the cooking to ensure its genuine taste. He trains his employees in cooking before they are assigned to the various outlets.

"Since many people can't stand a hot taste, I go easy on the chili but not spices," said Gustaman, who takes regular visits to each of his restaurants.

Profit sharing

Most Minang restaurants still opt for the traditional way in their management by adopting a profit-sharing scheme instead of paying monthly salaries to their employees.

Under the scheme -- called sistem mata (literally the "eye system") -- half of the restaurant's profits go to the owner and the remainder to the workers. The profits are distributed to the workers every 100 days or three months.

The workers receive different salaries based on their position, skills and seniority.

"Usually, the restaurant's cook gets higher income than the others because of his important role in the restaurant," said Gustaman.

He said the system also made workers conscientious about their tasks. "They will be introspective and improve the quality of their service to get more customers."

Ganefo said Natrabu used the system from the first time it was set up because it instilled a sense of belonging among all workers. It also gave them a feeling of responsibility and encouraged them to work hard to raise profits since it would affect their income, she added.

"The scheme also prevents the possibility of disgruntled employees, which can happen when workers know that a business is running very well and earning a lot of profit, but their incomes stay the same."