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)