Would you like fries with that, sir?

By Rita A. Widiadana

JAKARTA (JP): Hundreds of people willingly stood in line for hours when Jakarta's first McDonald's outlet opened four years ago.

What did they expect under the lionized golden arches? It served the same stuff as other fast-food franchises already operating in town. But McDonald's beefburgers, cheeseburgers, Filet-o-Fish, french fries, fried chicken, apple pies, sundaes and specialty Big Mac drew them in.

"There's nothing special in the taste of their burgers, we were just curious to try fast food in this famous chain," said one customer when the restaurant opened in l991.

Now, McDonald's Indonesia has 38 restaurants in the big cities of Java and Bali. The original outlet in Sarinah on Jl. M.H. Thamrin serves an average of 8,000 people a day, while other outlets are visited by more than a thousand customers daily.

"I come here often. It is strategically located, the service is good, it is clean and the atmosphere is pleasant," a regular at the Sarinah restaurant said.

McDonald's rapid development is inseparable from 44-year-old Bambang Nuryatno Rachmadi. Its success has made Bambang one of the country's top franchise holders.

"We want to offer the best food, best service and best environment which are in line with McDonald's motto Good Taste, Great Time," Bambang explained.

Bambang gave up a banking career, he was the president of Pan Indonesia (Panin) Bank when he was 35, to run the restaurant chain.

"I felt that there was no challenge left for me anymore in the banking world. It was time for me to fight in other fields," Bambang said during a recent interview with The Jakarta Post at his office.

He chose running a restaurant because it is considered a captive market, hard sell and labor intensive. He began applying for the franchise license from McDonald's. It was a difficult fight. Nearly 13,000 Indonesian businesspeople had applied for the license since the early 1980s.

Bambang had to compete with 39 other strong contenders from Indonesia for the license.

"I told the McDonald's management that my competitors were reputable businessmen in Indonesia. In financial terms, I am not comparable with them but I have the brains, the strong will and vision to run a restaurant franchise," Bambang said.

A graduate of the School of Economics at the University of Indonesia, Bambang continued his studies in international banking and finance at Saint Mary's Graduate School of Business Moraga and John F. Kennedy University Orinda. Both are in California, United States.

A year passed without news from McDonald's, Bambang remembered.

"I was surprised that McDonald's finally allowed me to take part in the company's training program at the McDonald's office in Singapore," he said.

All franchise hopefuls must take a course on management and on-the-job experience.

"I did everything from studying management to cleaning the kitchen and toilets. It was really a new and worthy experience," he said.

Many participants failed the training they considered frustrating and "brainless".

The programs, Bambang added, trained people in running a restaurant and taught them to appreciate each job. Such a business takes teamwork, Bambang explained.

The training helped franchise holders apply the theory and skills in their own countries.

Although he passed the course, Bambang didn't automatically get the license. It took two years before McDonald's granted him the franchise for Indonesia.

"My heart filled with gratitude to God when I heard the news. It was really His work that showed me this path," the father of three teenage children insisted.

He started his restaurant business under PT Ramako Gerbang Mas and opened the first McDonald's in Sarinah.

PT Ramako invested Rp 5 billion (US$2.5 million) in the franchise. The company employed 300 crew and managers in its first year.

"Creative, innovative and consistent are key factors for us to achieve our target," commented Bambang, who loves Harley Davidson motorcycles.

All crew and staff are required to undergo special training for each position.

"Human resource development is urgent in our company. Our employees are our valuable assets," Bambang said, echoing the company's line.

"We are happy to absorb high school graduates as our major workforce. They don't have to worry about their career. We have set up professional career planning. They can reach various top positions provided that they work hard," he elaborated.

Citing an example, Bambang said that one McDonald's crew (the lowest rank in the organization) was recently promoted as an assistant manager in only 30 months.

He explained that this employee, a high school graduate, took part in various managerial training programs. The company also sends its workers abroad to attend a workshops, seminars and training. The number of employees has increased from only 300 in l991 to 3,800 today. Over 85 percent of them are high school graduates.

Bambang commented he still has much work to do to improve the restaurants as well as his employee's welfare.

"But, I am very thankful to my family, my staff, my friends and my customers. They are the people behind my success," Bambang said.