7 minute read
It’s Pizza With Pizzazz At Us Pizza
IT’S PIZZA
WITH PIZZAZZ AT US PIZZA
Expect some head-turning variations on the menu in US Pizza. To name some, the Musang King Pizza, Indomie Pizza and the hugely successful Salted Egg Pizza. As bizarre as these sound, they have actually contributed to the success of the brand. Jeremy Hiew, Director of My US Pizza Sdn Bhd, shares with RACHAEL PHILIP his pizza sauce, I mean strategy.
J
eremy Hiew, owner of fast-growing US Pizza outlets in Malaysia, has fond memories of patronising the US Pizza outlet as a child back in his hometown in Greenlane, Penang. A lover of pizzas, he particularly enjoyed the garlic twist from the restaurant.
The brand, which opened in 1997 in Penang saw its business go up and down over the years. In its hey days, in 2005, it even opened an outlet in Singapore.
Years later when he heard of the retirement of Donald Duncan, the American founder of the company, who was keen to sell the business and hoping to nd passionate investor to carry on his devotion in pizza and in the business. Jeremy, then an investment banker with zero experience in the F&B industry, sprung to action and secured ownership of the business in 2015.
Today the brand has 90 outlets in the country, a phenomenal growth considering that it only started expanding in 2019 – when Covid hit – when they opened their rst outlet outside Penang, also their sixth outlet nationwide.
From the 90 outlets, 55 are corporate-owned while the remainder are franchisers. The company will open the doors of its rst overseas outlet, in Jakarta, in October 2022.
“We actually started out slow, not doing any business expansion in our rst years. Then in 2019 we had great plans for expansion but the pandemic happened. We decided to forge through anyway and even hit a record of opening 40 outlets in one year,” says Jeremy.
“It was crucial that we stayed focused, persistent and committed, despite the pandemic and its limiting restrictions. I remember walking door-to-door to give out flyers and delivering the orders myself. It was a tough time but de nitely a remarkable experience.”
Despite the long and painful pandemic days, Jeremy said he found pockets of hopeful prospects. For instance, he took advantage of the lacklustre property market when rentals began to dip. This, in fact, is one of the main reasons for the company’s rapid growth.
US Pizza hopes to have a total of 100 outlets by end 2022. This will put the brand in the third place a er pizza franchisers Domino Pizza and Pizza Hut in terms of outlets.
Currently they see a split of 50-50 between their dine-in and take-away customers. They plan to increase the dining-in slice by increasing their product o erings to include burgers and chicken wings for a more wholesome customer experience.
THE SECRET SAUCE
On the secret to their rapid growth and success, Jeremy would be the rst to acknowledge that he doesn’t think of himself as very successful. Or even that he knows everything.
“In the early days, there was a lack of direction but it was all a learning process. We also have to come to a realisation that we are currently living in the era of
– Jeremy Hiew, Director of My US Pizza Sdn Bhd
knowledge-sharing. While selfreliance is great – it shows that we are strong and capable – but sharing and exchanging information, knowledge and experiences can help us grow faster and greater.”
Besides forging ahead with its growth plans, being prudent with costs played a crucial role in the last three years, says Jeremy.
“Because of the pandemic, we also had the opportunity to travel and to nd good locations with good rentals during the months when restrictions were heavy. We managed to get 30-40% discounts on rentals and we secured these for two years. Even for renovations, contractors were willing to lower their margins in order to secure jobs.
“We were also able to put our menus online, then we pushed hard to drive tra c into our website. We have around six sta focused on all our social media platforms. Especially priceless are customers
who complain about our products. These are valuable because they care for our products and have taken the time to make the complaint.
“So all-in-all our business didn’t take much of a hit in the last three years.”
GETTING CREATIVE
Jeremy and his team, mostly from the accounting and nance industries, have come to embrace creativity and innovation, at once dispelling the notion that bankers, being analytical and critical, are usually serious and boring.
“We love being creative and integrating local flavours into our pizzas every now and then. The positive feedback drives us to continue promoting our local flavours.”
“It’s a gimmick and a crowd puller. Our customers are drawn to our unconventional pizzas, taking our Cheese Boat pizza as an example, its richness in high quality cheese could create foot-long cheese pull e ect, which is an eye-catching and fun experience. They come in to try, have fun, take pictures and upload them on social media. In this way, we enhance customer
2017
Received First Halal Certi cate
2019
Asia Halal Brands Award Heritage Brand – Best American Pizza
2020
O cial Franchisor License Holder in Malaysia
2021
The BrandLaureate The World’s First E-Branding Awards – F&B Pizza Chain
2021
Top Growth Websites – Food & Beverage
1997
Opened First Outlet in Malaysia
2019
Central Kitchen Certi ed Halal
2019
Asia Halal Brands Award – Innovative Marketing of The Year
2021
The BrandLaureate World Halal Bestbrands E-Branding Awards – F&B in American Style Pizza
2021
Malaysia Golden Bull Award – Outstanding SME
experience for them.” End 2021, the company engaged Chef Wan as their brand ambassador. The celebrity chef released two new pizza varieties, namely Wan-derful Prawn Pizza and Spicy Vietnamese Chicken Pizza, both inspirations from the famed chef’s favourite recipes. He is slated to release another two soon.
To pizza purists who roll their eyes at this, Jeremy points out that the brand sells American pizzas which are infused with local taste. He is convinced that this business strategy has helped US Pizza stand out among its competitors.
NUMBER GAME
Another secret to their success could be Jeremy’s skills as an entrepreneur. Jeremy attests that he has a good sense of money management. He is a goal- and value-driven person when it comes to managing nances.
“Numbers can tell all kinds of stories, from business margins to managing costs well. I love visualising ideas and sharing them with the team. This helps them plan and organise tasks, make work processes easy and improve results.”
Besides the soon-to-open outlet in Jakarta, US Pizza aims to expand to countries such as Singapore, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam.
“We also want to increase our equity by becoming a public-listed company. That’s a very big goal for me and my team, and we are very committed to achieving this.”
US Pizza also wants to be the rst pizza chain serving plant-based pizzas. This is to cater to vegans and those who want to live a healthier lifestyle.
Jeremy is also the owner and cofounder of the following F&B brands – Marshall’s Co, Jeremy’s Chicks, Ric’s Burger, US Bakes, Main Hati Co ee and Saigon Bowl.
KEEP CALM
Jeremy says that over the years, he has learned that being unemotional when dealing with employees and colleagues, and being uncompromising when it comes to ful lling business goals are important for an entrepreneur.
“Being a result-oriented person, I never fail to reveal and express my displeasure and opinions when my team falls short of my standards. Being rational helps me to keep my composure. I also do self-reflection on every decision I make too. This actually plays an important role in growing the business.
“Likewise, I encourage the team to be open, creative and bold. This has paid o for us.”
