KUALA LUMPUR, July 18 ― Burger lovers outside Sungai Buloh, Selangor, may be unfamiliar with A&J Burger as it is not as famous as other local brands like Ramly, Azmy, Purnama, Abang Burn Burger Bakar and Saudi, which are easily available throughout the country.
A&J Burger is the product of two young bumiputera entrepreneurs Mohd Johar M. Jaffar, 32, and Mansor Kassim, 29, who ventured into the food business by setting up a stall in Sungai Buloh to introduce their own brand of burger specialities and other dishes.
Inspired by the success enjoyed by fellow Malaysians who operated burger businesses, Mohd Johar said he and his partner tried their hands at concocting variations of the humble burger in order to stand apart from the rest.
“The response to our range of burgers has been very encouraging, more than what we anticipated. Although we've only been promoting our products through Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, the response has been overwhelming. Even people living outside Sungai Buloh have come to know about our burgers and want to try them.
“We're also constantly trying to improve the quality of our products and replicating the success of other local burger operators who were able to expand the market share of their products. We also want our products to be accepted byall and are moving towards that direction,” he told Bernama recently.
Mohd Johar and Mansor set up A&J Burger in 2012 on a capital of RM5,000, starting with a static stall at a hawkers' centre in Sungai Buloh and operating from 3pm to 1am. A second stall was opened in Johor Baru in 2013.
Their workforce at both stalls swelled from only two in 2013 to a total of 15 currently.
“Initially, we earned between RM300 and RM400 a day in gross income. After we expanded our menu and started offering products not available in the market, our gross income went up to about RM1,500 a day,” said Mohd Johar, adding that he expected a further increase in revenue by the end of the year with the opening of new A&J Burger outlets in other states.
He said when they first went into the business, their stall only offered four types of burgers. The range has since expanded to 25 products.
“The most sought after items in our menu are Burger Bakar RGB, Rasta Monster and meatballs. We believe that our reasonably-priced set meals are our greatest strength.
“Our cheapest burger set is priced at RM8.50 and it includes a drink. Then, there's a RM11.50 combo set, which consists of an RGB burger, meatballs, cheesy wedges, mushroom soup, garlic bread and drink,” he added. ― Bernama
