| Type | Publicly Traded SEHK: 0341 |
|---|---|
| Industry | Foodservice |
| Founded | Causeway Bay, Hong Kong (1968) |
| Headquarters | Shatin, Hong Kong |
| Key people | Michael Chan, Chairman |
| Products | Fast food, Casual dining |
| Revenue | HK$3.89 billion (2007) |
| Employees | 12,000+ (July 2006) |
| Website | http://www.cafedecoral.com/ |
Café de Coral (Chinese: 大家樂; pinyin: dà jiā lè) SEHK: 0341 is a fast food restaurant group which owns and operates fast food chains and restaurants including Café de Coral, The Spaghetti House, Manchu Wok, Oliver's Super Sandwiches, Ah Yee Leng Tong and others. Founded in 1968, the Café de Coral group opened its first Café de Coral restaurant in the Causeway Bay district of Hong Kong in 1969. Since then, the group has grown to operate over 540 separate outlets across its brands all over the world. Café de Coral group is the largest Chinese Fast Food restaurant group in Hong Kong and in the world. In Hong Kong alone, the Café de Coral chain caters to over 300,000 people on an average day.[1]
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The Cafe de Coral Group was incorporated in 1968, but it would not be until September 1969 when it opened its first Café de Coral restaurant in Causeway Bay.[2] The chain gradually expanded over the next decade and went on air in 1977 when it promoted its restaurants through TV commercials. In 1979, Café de Coral established its first food processing plant, a move commonly taken to lower costs and ensure consistency.[3] In 1986, the Café de Coral Group finally went public, and in 1988, it hit a major milestone by opening up its 50th Café de Coral restaurant. The years after this would be marked by diversification when it went on a buying spree.[4]
In May 1990, Café de Coral made its first acquisition by buying out the Ah Yee Leng Tong chain for $14 million HKD.[5] A year later in 1991, it acquired The Spaghetti House, a popular chain that served HK-style Italian food. The same year, it opened up its second food processing plant. 1992 was another milestone year for Café de Coral when it opened both its 100th restaurant as well as its first restaurant outside Hong Kong in the nearby city of Shenzhen.[5]
In 1996, Café de Coral opened up its first Bravo le Café restaurant and that same year, it acquired Scanfoods, a ham processing and food distribution business. In 1998, it started yet another restaurant chain called Super Super Congee & Noodle, serving exactly what the name states.[5]
Café de Coral was not finished with its trend of acquisitions, and in 2000, it acquired Denny's Bakery, a bakery manufacturing and distribution business in Hong Kong. That same year, it acquired Manchu Wok, a North American Chinese fast food chain that had a strong presence in Canada and the United States. In the years following, Café de Coral also acquired China Inn (2002), New Asia Dabao (2003), and Oliver's Super Sandwiches (2003).[6]
In 2006, Café de Coral began rolling out its "fourth generation concept" across all of its locations, effectively renovating many restaurants to bring them up to modern standards.[7] This year, Café de Coral made an investment in the Tao Heung Group, a smaller restaurant group that operates 11 brands all over China and Hong Kong.[6]
Café de Coral is a fast food restaurant chain that serves both Chinese and Western food at a budget price. Established in 1968 in Causeway Bay, Café de Coral operates over 100 locations in the Hong Kong region and 24 locations in Mainland China.[8]
The Spaghetti House is a specialty restaurant chain that serves Hong Kong-style Italian cuisine and is positioned as a mid-market chain that is family and tourist friendly. Established in 1979, The Spaghetti House operates 25 locations in Hong Kong [9] and 3 locations in Southern China.[10]
Ah Yee Leng Tong is a specialty restaurant chain that serves homestyle Chinese soup as well as a variety of regional Chinese dishes. It is also known for its XO sauce. Its restaurants, which average 250 square meters, fuse both traditional and modern furnishings and appeal to both locals and tourists. As of 2007, there is only one location at the Hong Kong International Airport.[11]
Bravo le Café is a quick service restaurant chain that serves a mix of Western, Chinese, and Japanese food in a bistro setting designed to appeal to "young and upwardly mobile executives." [12] There are currently three locations of Bravo le Café, one in the International Finance Centre, one in Central, Hong Kong, and one at the Hong Kong International Airport.
Super Super Congee & Noodles is a fast food chain serving congee and various noodle dishes as its name suggests. As of March 2006, there were 5 location across Hong Kong including two in Tsing Yi and one in Wong Tai Sin.
When Hong Kong's minimum wage law was passed in July 2010, Café de Coral raised its average salary from HKD $22.4 to $33 in order to satisfy the law requirement. However, during the process, it stopped paying its employees for lunch breaks. Their decision led to public backlash and Hong Kong Confederation of Trade Unions threatened to start a public boycott. Three days before the boycott began, Café de Coral reversed its decision and resumed paying its employee for lunch breaks while giving them a payrise.[13]