ZEN Corporation Group Public Company Limited (ZEN Group) is using the "AKA" brand to launch into the shabu-shabu buffet market to support the growing trend with the launch of "AKA Shabu" to further cement its successes. The store highlights self-service shabu-shabu bar where customers can choose their own ingredients and the individual shabu-shabu pot that holds two types of broth for each customer. The first store opens at Central Bangna within the AKA Restaurant along with special "Meat Lover Buffet" promotion on December 10-31, 2020 priced at 299+ baht discounted from the actual 399+ baht price. Next year will witness the aggressive launches of four new "AKA Shabu" branches.
Mr. Boonyong Tansakul, Chief Executive Officer of ZEN Corporation Group Public Company Limited (ZEN) - the food service provider, revealed that the Company is building on the success of the "AKA" brand whose specialty has been the Japanese Yakiniku-style buffet that has opened for service for the past 13 years. Currently, there are altogether 24 branches while the new additional style of service will be the "AKA Shabu" offering all-you-can-eat shabu-shabu buffet. The launch of the new service followed the result of the study that showed the overall performance of the shabu-shabu type restaurants in 2021 having market value of as high as 15,000 million baht with the trend still growing strong. Moreover, "AKA" is already an established strong brand in regard to its buffet service, and the Company has set the target to become the leader in both yakiniku and shabu-shabu buffets within three years while also expediting the business model that encompasses both yakiniku and shabu-shabu.
"AKA Shabu" has been developed to fulfill the demand of customers who desire to enjoy the genuine Japanese-style shabu-shabu buffet. Customers can avail of the all-you-can-eat format while "AKA Shabu" has prepared a wide variety of quality ingredients for the customers' own choosing without having to wait to be served. This is especially true for the preparation for meats and seafood with guaranteed freshness while each individual customer is provided with a pot that holds two types of broth of the customer's own choosing.
Presently, the first "AKA Shabu" is opened for business within the AKA Restaurant premises on the second floor of Central Bangna with enthusiastic reception by customers who are fond of authentic Japanese-style shabu-shabu. In the next year, four more branches are expected to be opened and more will be added continuously to further expand the customer base and leverage growth.
Customers can choose from among three buffet sets: Set 1 - Meat Lover Buffet, being the best value for money with pork and chicken at 339+ baht per person plus more than 40 additional side dishes. Special promotion for December 10-31, 2020 priced at only 299+ baht per person; Set 2 - Regular Buffet, priced at only 439+ baht persons with additional seafood and beef, such as prawns, salmon, squids, grilled beef, beef top round and beef bacon; and, Set 3 - Premium Buffet, priced at 549+ baht loaded with the most premium ingredients, such as river prawns, New Zealand mussels, Thai Wagyu beef, Australian beef chuck, as well as seafood, pork, beef and all side dishes.