How to sell a RM1 Roti Canai for HK$28 (RM14)
Roti Canai with banana sells for RM1.5 in Malaysia. The same roti canai sells for HK$28 (RM14) in Hong Kong, which is about 10 times more expensive! And it’s selling like hot cakes! I’ve shot a video showing this smart dressing roti canai man showing off his skills. Watch it here.
I was at Harbour City shopping mall yesterday and saw this display of roti canai making skills at one of the food outlets. Check out the handsome roti canai man video here at http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=5778436834715553895&hl=en
Typically in Malaysia & Singapore, the roti canai / pratha is a street food, whereby you can get this Indian snack 24 hours a day, in most of the outlets. The roti canai is about RM1 (kosong meaning plain / empty), while in Singapore it’s about S$1.50. However in the past 2 or 3 years, it’s even available in Hong Kong & China now. In Shanghai, they call it the Indian UFO ( or Indian flying saucer ) and it was about RMB20 (with strawberries).
This one in Hong Kong became so successful that it turned into a food chain (mostly in food courts) and it’s called Curry in a Hurry. The store name is easy to remember and rhymes well, so you would surely have their name stuck in your mind. In order to attract prospects to try out this dish, they have a smarly dressed chef perform the skills of making roti pratha and lots of people would stop to take videos (just like me). Price in Hong Kong is HK$28 with banana, but the size is double the regular roti canai we get in Malaysia or Singapore.
I tried out their banana roti pratha (yes, sweet dessert with fresh bananas) and it looked very similar to what i can get back home in Malaysia. However, the taste wise, i’ll say that the regular ones in Malaysia & Singapore streeets taste better. This is definitely part of our culture there where we would drive say 30 minutes to a designated tea stall (mamak stall) and meet up with friends. In KL, i’ve done this many times and drove to Steven’s Corner in Old Klang Road area. While in Singapore, i like the Indian curry store at the junction of Bencoolen Street & Middle Road (just 3 minutes walk from my eOneNet - internet marketing Singapore office)
You can even get frozen roti canai at supermarkets such as City Super & Wellcome in Hong Kong. Costs about HK$30 (in Malaysia it’s about RM4). To try fresh roti pratha, head to the City Super food malls, or Langham Place Mongkok shopping mall where you can find Curry in a Hurry. The funny thing though, you can’t really eat this if you are rushing as they have to make your bread after you order… so maybe it’ll be more like Curry if you’re not in a Hurry.
This is an excellent example of how to sell products more expensively, by a combination of packaging, branding, and showmanship.
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February 24th, 2007 at 7:40 pm
At first i thought the food in hong kong suppose to be cheaper than here in malaysia…or is it only for non-local type of food…hmmm…
Kevin
February 25th, 2007 at 1:29 pm
wow! this sure is good money to make. we always take for granted with this simple food - roti chanai. this news is food for thought………
February 26th, 2007 at 3:44 am
Yes Salamah, sometimes a business can be created even with a simple concept. If you already have some ideas, do research and then even selling a product as normal as this, but in a Different market, can generate good results too.
I can’t wait to eat roti canai again, but this round probably i’ll be eating it in Singapore as i’ll probably head there directly for our Singapore internet marketing seminars 2 weeks later, before i head home to Malaysia.
Last night, i had Hainanese Chicken Rice (about HK$50 here), but i’m missing Ipoh style chicken rice…
Cheers, Fione
February 27th, 2007 at 11:05 am
hmmm..i prefer cheese or egg with onion pratha. Banana favour roti pratha seems yummy too.!!
September 23rd, 2007 at 2:28 pm
never thought other people would love roti canai too. don’t tell this to the mamak or we would be in trouble.
October 9th, 2007 at 11:17 pm
if u re in Taman Universiti Skudai,Johor try it out at Restoran Agus.
14 Kebudayaan 2
good roti canai.not nice don ve 2 pay