Koufu refers to the Chinese belief that it is a person's good fortune to feast on good food. That is precisely the consumer experience food court operator Koufu intends to offer through its vast array of dining concepts in Singapore and overseas. Founder and Director, Mr Pang Lim, is today affectionately known in Singapore as the "King of Coffee Shops" due to his management and operation of 34 food courts, 10 coffee shops, 8 Dim-sum style cafes and 6 fast food outlets. He also has two franchise operations in Jakarta International Airport and Artha Gading Mall in Indonesia.
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Mr Pang Lim, Founder and Director,
Koufu
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Koufu's fundamental concept is "Better Food, Better People, Better Life" - a concept very much brought to life with its operations of Punggol Plaza and Fernvale Point, two modern shopping malls that cater to people's daily needs. "Venturing into real estate has allowed us to operate our food courts more efficiently," explains Mr Pang.
This entrepreneurial approach to business is one reason that Koufu has found itself on the E50 list for the fifth consecutive year. Mr Pang attributes his success to his ability to constantly reinvent the business. During the economic downturn, while other businesses were cutting back, Mr Pang saw an excellent opportunity for him to add yet another five food courts to his empire in the space of a few months and to introduce two new concepts to food court dining, the I-Foodcourt and Singapore's first Green food court.
I-Foodcourt is being developed to adapt to the changing lifestyle of customers. It offers free wireless connections for PC and phone internet customers as well as 24-hour access to tenants for live CCTV coverage of their stalls. Its Market Street outlet currently has the I-Foodcourt concept on trial and Koufu is currently in talks with NETS to set up a cashless payment system.
Another positive reinvention of the food court concept is Koufu's Marina Bay Sands Food Court, the first Green food court in Singapore. Its stalls will not only use recyclable packaging, but packaging and detergents that are 100% bio-degradable. This extends to its construction and installations as well. The wood used in construction will be from registered sustainable sources, and Koufu will also use Energy-Efficient Exhaust Systems, energy-saving lights and air circulation systems.
"Our flagship Green food court will help us to develop future models for all our future foodcourts," explains Mr Pang, But perhaps what it even more revolutionary about this food court is that it will put together the Best Street Food Masters of Singapore, and also those from our Southeast Asian neighbours. The stalls will be a "Who's Who" in the food scene, and is touted as the Food Icon of Singapore, or even perhaps a regional Gourmet Beacon.