BreadTalk and Song Fa have launched their first restaurant in northern China at Beijing’s APM Mall.

Saturday’s opening follows the successful launch of the first Song Fa restaurant in Shanghai Jing An Kerry Center in January last year, where it averaged RMB1 million (US$145,570) in monthly sales. It is the fourth restaurant opened following the signing of the joint-venture agreement between BreadTalk and Song Fa Holdings in July 2017.

The restaurant is located on level 5 of the mall, featuring a spacious interior accommodating close to 100 diners with Nanyang nostalgia decor and contemporary seating.

“Since the opening of our first Song Fa outlet in Shanghai last year, we were encouraged and overwhelmed by the positive response from consumers in China,” said BreadTalk Group CEO Henry Chu. “This vote of confidence enabled us to open another three restaurants successfully in Shanghai last year.

With the opening of our first restaurant in Beijing, we will continue to harness and leverage BreadTalk Group’s brand operations and management experience to bring the Song Fa brand to northern China and provide local consumers with high quality Teochew Bak Kut Teh cuisine.”

“The Bak Kut Teh culture is one of the most iconic food cultures of Singapore,” added Song Fa’s second-generation helmsman and MD Yeo Hart Pong. “It is Song Fa’s mission to spread this culture and continue to serve generations of Bak Kut Teh fans. Besides our Singapore homeground and Indonesia, China is our most-valued market outside Southeast Asia. We feel very honoured to be able to collaborate with BreadTalk Group and introduce the Teochew Bak Kut Teh culture to epicures in China.”

Inside Retail Asia