Nasi Lemak War - The Perodua Morning Breakfast

 7 am to Perodua

Everyday, most Peroduan go through this road for work. Mostly to the manufacturing (kilang) and to office. There are many options for breakfast for Peroduan along this road. From small stalls (gerai) for "buy & go", stall with small tables and restaurant. The current restaurant is a "mamak". It has change ownership several time until now. I personally think this mamak is here to stay. 

Most of the stall available here are nasi lemak stall. As Malaysian, nasi lemak is considered a perfect breakfast. Usually the stall do not only sells nasi lemak "cedok" only, they also sell nasi putih along with the dish, kueh, nasi goreng, bihun goreng, mee goreng etc. Those are Malaysian heavy breakfast food. But in general everybody called them nasi lemak stalls.

Note: Nasi lemak cedok (dipper) is nasi lemak or nasi putih where customer can take their own dish for their nasi. The dish are either paru, meat, chicken, cuttle fish etc. 

Venture Into Red Ocean
If one wish to open the nasi lemak stall here, one need to be ready to venture in red ocean business. Along this road there are at least 6 stalls some are well establish while some just come and go (unable to be stable and make steady income out of it). I had seen many stall come and go for the past 5 to 6 years since I first transferred to HQ. However, if one truly wish to venture, one does not have to worry because the market is huge!

The Art Of War teaches us: Know your enemy as you know yourself than you will not loose a thousand battles.

Your enemy:
1. The customers:

• Who are they?: Most are factory workers (operators, line worker etc) that required lots of energy, something that suites their taste buds and most important cheap. Office workers like me that enjoy good food and appreciate cheap price.

• What they want?: Good food (taste good), cheap food, big in portion @ quantity (banyak), fast service & smile.

2. The competitor:

•  What they offer? Good food (taste good)? Cheap food? Big in quantity (banyak)? Fast service? & Do they smile?

Smile is important during breakfast transaction because it is the start of day work and it can effect the day's mood. Especially if you are going the face hard day work with strict and fierce boss. 
Cute & sweet worker also plus point... Wah hahahahaha...

Usually each of the customer (including myself) have our own favorite stall for our breakfast. We consider which stall as our favorite mostly base from the criteria mentioned. I have 2 stalls that I usually go depending on my morning "selera". Having said so, whenever there is a new stall open, most customers will go and try, including myself. If the new stall is good (comply with what the customers' wanted), than there will be high possibility for the stall to stay.

Case 1:
Recently there was 1 stall just open and I believe it already close. Husband and wife operating the stall. I try that stall since it was new. I took nasi lemak basic and paru. The dialog as below:
Stall: RM5...
Pawi: RM5?
Stall: Yes... You took paru isn't it?I paid and go but I have to admit that the food was good.

Case 2:
Last year I think, the stall was a lorry under Zakat. The operators are elderly people. Unfortunately the food was limited to nasi lemak and the tastse was awe full. Thus the lorry not here (the road) anymore.. Pity them..

Case 3:
This was actually 1 of my few favorite. A guy selling nasi lemak from his Wira back boot. No stall. Just 1 table for 3 types of nasi lemak daun pisang. Either kerang (clam - my favorite), cuttlefish and basic. But the nasi lemak portion is small (5 kali suap) price for clam and cuttlefish is a bit high; RM2.50. I liked the nasi lemak very much because the taste is very good. As for me, maybe it is OK for me to pay with that price for that portion. But for most other customers (mainly the factory operators), maybe it is not enough. Thus the stall is not here anymore.. I really hope 1 day I could see that Wira nasi lemak again.. 

Findings
From these 3 basic samples (actually there are more), all of them did not understand or implement what Sun Tze said.This does not mean they need to learn the Art of War by heart (some people I knew learn the Art Of War but did not implemented them), but they did not even bother to understand the market, their customer and even their competitors.

I have my own favorite stall to to go. At the stall, I always took nasi lemak basic with paru. The cost is only RM2.50 to RM3.00 (depending on portion if side dish I took). The makciks (2 of them) smile, say TQ and are very fast. Off course the food are good also. If I took nasi lemak basic with side dish such as paru @ meat @ cuttlefish and with sardine, it only cost me from RM4.50 to RM5.00. Very cheap. The rice also a lot. This is my standard. Whenever I try new stall, I will automatically compare with my favorite stall.

For case 1, it broke all the basic rules. It also disrespect the customer by ridicule the customer with questioning back what customer took. They did not even say thank you.
Case 2 I think is more into product matter. The price is OK but the quality is bad. Unable to compete in the red ocean. Kesian...
Case 3 I think is he is a middle person that jack up the price.

Nasi Lemak War
As mention, nasi lemak is very Malaysian. Most Malay would take nasi lemak not only in the morning, but anytime of the 24 hours. As for "the road" to Perodua nasi lemak war, it is an ongoing battles. Each day those makciks, kakaks, abangs and adiks would do their best to win the nasi lemak battles. Actually there shouldn't be any losers in the road nasi lemak war. The market is huge. Enough for every body. The stalls need not to break the basic rule of providing food customers.
Also, since venturing into nasi lemak war is very red ocean, than Sun Tze advice is very true and dire.