If you ever visit Semarang, spend some time in one of its most well-known tourist destinations, Lawang Sewu, and head down to the popular Roodfoodie for lunch. Serving up delicious chicken and duck dishes, Roodfoodie is one of the winners of Bango Penerus Warisan Kuliner 2018.
There’s such tantalising variety on the restaurant menu: original grilled chicken, serundeng grilled chicken, grilled chicken with kremesan, and nine levels of ayam bakar geprek (squeezed grilled chicken). Roodfoodie also boasts a duck menu with similar methods of preparation. These dishes can also be served with tasty toppings such as cheese and serundeng.
The story of Roodfoodie began in quite an unexpected way. Rudie Siswanto, owner of Roodfoodie, was originally a financial director and stock owner of an IT company based in Semarang. In 2017, he decided to quit his job and sell his stock to fund his culinary business.
His childhood habit of helping his parents in the kitchen is one of the reasons behind Rudie’s interest in the culinary business. His parents owned a fried rice restaurant in Sumenep, Madura, where he often helped out by peeling garlic for extra spending money.
One key ingredient contributing to the delicious taste of Roodfoodie dishes is the Bango Sweet Soy Sauce. “From the beginning, I’ve always used Bango. Even before opening the restaurant, I have always loved cooking on weekends and Bango was in whatever I whipped up,” said Rudie.
Rudie’s 4 tips for restaurant owners
According to Rudie, there are 4 things to note when running a culinary business. Read on to learn what they are.
1. Experimenting with recipes
Rudie confessed to getting his mother’s original recipe from his sibling. Then, he experimented repeatedly to find the most delicious combination of ingredients. For almost a year, he played around with the recipe until he was satisfied with it and ready to serve his customers.
2. Food hygiene
The standard of food hygiene in Roodfoodie is equivalent to that of international franchise restaurants. Rudie prepares his dishes in the most hygienic environment possible.
3. Attractive packaging
Pay special attention to packaging materials when selling food. When packaging is done right, it can be a powerful way to promote your business. Rudie designed Roodfoodie’s packaging to be as appealing as possible, and even incorporated some marketing elements, such as the menu offerings, in its design.
4. Digital marketing
As an ex-professional of the IT industry, Rudie understands well the importance of IT. This skill is one of the secrets of Roodfoodie’s success as a restaurant, and the driving force behind his large number of online sales.
Rudie is now more confident about developing his business further. His dream for the future is to own and open branches of café-style restaurants offering the same menu of penyetan dishes where people can feel comfortable hanging out. Rudie admits that he has an investor who’s offered to support his dream of branching out beyond Semarang.
