SINGAPORE, April 19 – Singaporean entrepreneur Bernard Tay has today admitted the local origins of his Korean fried chicken chain, Jinjja Chicken, which he launched in 2015.
The Straits Times reported that the brand is co-owned by Tay and another Singaporean partner, and now operates eight outlets in Singapore, generating about S$10 million (RM33 million) annually and employing 170 staff.
“It is time to let people know that we are proudly 100 per cent owned by Singaporeans. We are a Singaporean brand and we are also doing well overseas.
“I hope people will support Singaporeans who dare to sell cuisines which are not local,” Tay reportedly said.
The halal-certified brand currently has franchise outlets in Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei, with another scheduled to open in Brunei this August.
Tay said many customers assume Jinjja is a South Korean brand, and he initially chose not to correct the misconception due to concerns over perceived authenticity.
He cited a specific incident in 2017 at the Northpoint City outlet, where a customer left upon learning that the owner was Singaporean, doubting the quality of the food because it wasn’t South Korean-owned.
Before launching Jinjja, Tay worked at his family’s food business, Molly’s Nonya Kuehs, and used his savings and a bank loan totalling over S$350,000 to open the first outlet in Bugis Village in October 2015.
He obtained halal certification to appeal to a broader market, and his wife Christine Tay joined the business as marketing director in 2016.
Tay said he developed Jinjja with help from a branding agency and a chef friend, while sourcing authentic recipes from South Korean contacts he met while running a trading company for food ingredients.
Despite having no culinary background, Tay said he worked in the kitchen during the early days, handling everything from food prep to dishwashing in gruelling 14-hour shifts without breaks.
Tay said he now has set his sights on expanding into Thailand, Vietnam, China and possibly Australia through franchising.
