BANGKA -- Andree Nugraha Johnny (42), PT Timah Tbk fostered partner, is able to develop his culinary business, Soul Kitchen Cafe and Resto, which is located at Jalan Pemuda No. 15, Sungailiat, Bangka Regency.
Andree and his wife Dina started this culinary business in 2016 and continue to grow as it is today. From the beginning, he only sold various snacks, now his business continues to grow.
Located in the center of Sungailiat City, the atmosphere is comfortable and calm, making Soul Kitchen Cafe and Resto a delicious and exciting place to eat. Apart from that, Soul Kitchen Cafe and Resto also often hold live bands.
Soul Kitchen Cafe and Resto present a variety of food menus such as Indonesian Food, Chinese Food, and Western Food. There are also various contemporary snacks such as Seblak, Gejrot Tofu, Singapore Otak-otak, and others.
This cafe also provides a Playground for children to play, interesting photo spots, and delicious food.
The father of one child recounted that the business he started with his wife started when he saw an opportunity for not many modern cafes in Sungailiat. So they started the business from small until now it continues to grow.
"In 2016, my wife and I originally wanted to book a movie room business, but when we saw one of the traders in Pangkalpinang who had a coffee shop business, we were interested. Then there was an opportunity too, initially, it was just selling snacks for children's food. Thank God, it has been like this until now," he said some time ago.
Initially, he said they wanted to present a comfortable cafe with delicious food and affordable prices.
Apart from running a business, Andree also provides opportunities for local bands to hone their talents by performing in live bands at their cafe.
"At that time it was still the acoustic era, but we presented full-band live music. Every time there was live music we had a theme. Because my wife and I like music, we present a live band every Saturday night," he said.
According to Andree, running a culinary business is not easy, ups and downs do not make them give up. In fact, continue to innovate to grab the attention of visitors.
Especially at this time, the proliferation of cafe businesses in Sungailiat and its surroundings. For this reason, in 2021, they decided to become fostered partners of PT Timah Tbk so they could develop the business they are in.
Apart from that, said Andree, running a cafe with an outdoor concept does require higher maintenance costs. The reason is, some equipment is damaged more quickly.
"If this outdoor cafe really has to be replaced every six months, like this tent, it breaks quickly, the color hasn't faded. Meanwhile, this cafe is the main attraction, apart from good food, it's also a good place," he said.
Cafe business also according to him must be creative and innovative, because the development is so fast and consumers tend to get bored quickly.
"This cafe is dynamic, we have to be creative to change the concept because it's not enough just to have a delicious food menu. But to be competitive and survive we need upgrades such as food menus, decorations, and so on," he said.
He said he could add capital from PUMK funds to his business facilities such as chairs, kitchen equipment, and various other decorations.
"Currently there are 30 tables with 8 workers. From the PUMK funds we buy kitchen equipment such as freezers and other equipment, beautify the cafe area and others," he said.
After becoming a fostered partner of PT Timah Tbk, he said, his turnover also increased along with various improvements.
"The turnover will certainly increase because we are making improvements. Some of the improvements also add to the attractiveness of visitors," he said.
According to him, in the midst of uncertainty about people's purchasing power, with PT Timah Tbk's PUMK funds, they can still survive and continue to develop their business.
"It is very helpful for PT Timah Tbk's PUMK program because it is flexible and understands our business conditions. Hopefully, this program will continue to survive so that it can help MSME players," he said. (*)
