Padang eateries: Traditional fast-food

Padang eateries: Traditional fast-food

JAKARTA (JP): The popularity of Minangkabau restaurants has
lured small-time traders with good business senses to try their
luck running similar ventures.

Some of the Minangkabau food stalls still bear West Sumatran
names. But the owners are not native of West Sumatra, but usually
Javenese and Sundanese. The dishes they serve -- instead of hot
and spicy -- are sweeter, and, unlike real Minangkabau
restaurants, they also serve fried tempeh, tofu, vegetable soup
and lalapan salad.

The service is often slow. Don't expect to see the waiters
racing out carrying a spiraling pyramid of different dishes and
serving them in style seconds after you have taken a seat. Often,
you have to wait for sometime or even have to order the food.

"I've been running this food stall for three years and the
business is good," said Haryadi, a 34-year-old native of
Pekalongan, Central Java, who runs Salero Awak food stall in the
Blok M area, South Jakarta.

He claimed all the food was prepared in accordance with
Minangkabau recipes he learned while working for five years in a
Minangkabau restaurant in his hometown.

"The cook was from Pariaman (in West Sumatra) and he was very
nice and shared his recipes with me," Haryadi said.

With only Rp 2 million in his hand, some of which his brother
lent him, he decided to try his luck in the capital.

Now, his food stall serves around 100 customers per day,
mostly workers in nearby shopping centers. "Many prefer to eat in
food stalls like mine because the prices are reasonable," said
Haryadi.

For instance, he said, one could have a decent meal with
rendang (beef stewed in coconut milk) for only Rp 3,500.

"In major restaurants, one has to may more," said Haryadi, who
brings home up to Rp 100,000 in profit per day.

His restaurant also serves dishes that would never be found in
a real Minangkabau restaurant, such as fried noodles, vegetable
soups and fried eggs.

"I use sugar and don't use much chili so the food won't be too
hot. Many of my customers can't stand it," said Haryadi, who now
has three employees but still handles the cooking himself.

Good relations between employees and owners of Minangkabau
restaurants make sharing recipes possible. Besides, most
restaurants do not hire natives of West Sumatra.

In Natrabu restaurants, where a traditional atmosphere is
preserved, most of the employees are Javanese, Sundanese or even
Acehnese. Some start working at the restaurants without any
skills and need training.

According to the chain's director, Ganefo Dewi Sutan, it is
difficult to tell whether her restaurants' employees were natives
of West Sumatra or not since they serve while garbed in
Minangkabau attire, cook authentically and even speak the local
language, Minangkabauese, with perfect accents.

"And if you ask, his name is Cecep (a typical Sundanese
name)," said Ganefo, laughing.

In Sederhana restaurants, most of the workers are Javanese and
Sundanese. Each of his restaurants usually has around 20
employees.

"They are fast learners, diligent and hard workers. For me
it's better to train people who know that they know nothing
rather than teaching those who think they're clever," Sederhana's
owner Gustaman said, explaining his reasons for hiring people
hailing from outside of West Sumatra.

A good cook himself, Gustaman did not keep his special recipes
a secret. In fact, he didn't hesitate to share them with his
workers.

"I teach my workers about cooking. According to my religion,
it's not good to keep something useful only for yourself, for
your own profit," said the man, who will leave to Mecca to
perform his second haj pilgrimage with his family in early April.

His willingness to share his recipes came from his own
experience.

Leaving his hometown to Jambi at the age 13, the elementary
school graduate ended up in Jakarta in 1970. After unsuccessful
work as a sidewalk vendor in Matraman, Central Jakarta, he met a
cook that would change his luck.

"There's an old cook in a Minang restaurant called Timbulun in
Pejompongan (Central Jakarta). His name is Danin. He taught me
all the recipes to help me to get on my own feet. He was very
good to me. After my business took off, I tried to find him but
to no avail," sighed Gustaman, who now owns 20 restaurants
throughout the city.

"I'm grateful and thank God for what I have now. Everyone has
his or her own luck and I don't mind if my workers decide to set
up their own restaurants. But so far, it's been very rare. One of
my cooks has even stayed with me since 1974."

To cope with stiff competition, Natrabu was patented years ago
and Sederhana quickly followed suit.

However, Sederhana only managed to patent the design, color
and shape of the restaurant's logo, but could not do the same to
its brand name. "I was told that the term 'sederhana'(simple) was
a general Indonesian term that couldn't be patented," Gustaman
said.

But the father of six does not fear people will copy his
restaurant's name to lure customers.

"People can name their restaurants just like mine. But in my
opinion, customers know best. They can judge whether they like
the food in a certain restaurant or not. So in the end, the
market and the customers make the selection," Gustaman said.
(ste)