When Marrybrown first opened in 1981, American fast food chains were the industry leaders. But that didn’t stop its founders, entrepreneur couple Lawrence and Nancy Liew, from carving their own destiny – to date, Marrybrown has over 500 outlets across 16 countries.
Given its massive competition, how did a previously unknown Malaysian brand hold its own?
FMT recently had the opportunity to speak to Joshua Liew, CEO of Marrybrown, and more importantly, the son of Lawrence and Nancy.
“Despite other brands being in Malaysia for so long, there was still an opportunity to be had as many Malaysians were constantly looking out for halal western food,” Joshua said.
It was with this in mind, coupled with an insatiable love for Malaysian food, that motivated Joshua’s parents to dive into the fast food industry.
Joshua notes that as proud Malaysians, the Liews were more than excited to introduce the wonders of local cuisine to the world through Marrybrown.
“Being a homegrown brand, we had the upper hand of having an innate knowledge and understanding of Malaysians’ taste buds – their preferred flavours, likings, dislikes, and so on.”
Good ideas don’t necessarily guarantee a business’ success, so how did Marrybrown succeed in making a name for itself for the past 40 years?
“Constant trial and error for all our meals as well as never-ending determination and drive,” shared Joshua, who added that every meal on their menu was thoroughly researched and developed.
By constantly listening to customer feedback, Marrybrown’s food products have always stood out for their sweet, spicy and savoury tastes as well as affordability. Joshua credits Marrybrown’s R&D team for this as they have been bold enough to experiment with new flavours.
So what is Joshua’s definition of ‘good food’?
“It’s food that excites you from the first bite until the very end; the kind of food that you insist on telling your family and friends about. It is food that you always choose as a pick-me-up or even as a go-to for joyous occasions and celebrations,” he exclaimed proudly.
Joshua attributes the success of Marrybrown to its customer base, many of whom have supported the franchise since 1981.
“Their feedback and support keeps us motivated. From the various changes we have seen through the decades, we are grateful for their unwavering support.”
Given that the Liews were personally responsible for the founding and success of Marrybrown, one must wonder how they separate work from their private lives.
“When it comes to business, we do our work as professionals and once it’s time for family, we put aside our work and give our full attention to each other,” he explained, adding that given how precious time is, family has always comes first.
In a similar vein, Marrybrown treats their employees as family too.
“Whether they are working at our HQ or on-ground in our restaurants, we strive to have our people trust and treat each other as family, because nobody likes working in a negative environment,” said Joshua.
Like others in the food and beverage industry, Covid-19 hasn’t been kind to Marrybrown but the Liews have rolled with the punches.
“Challenging times also hasten development and through proper planning and understanding of the situation, we have adapted fairly quickly to the prevalence of e-commerce and home deliveries.”
Joshua is certain Marrybrown will survive these difficult times, drawing inspiration from the brand’s humble beginnings and the tireless efforts of his parents.
“We started from scratch – developing everything ourselves and growing the business to what it is today; we never gave up.”
Despite the naysayers, the Liews worked tirelessly, determined to get their business off the ground.
“Sometimes you just need to remind yourself that it is okay to fail, for without failure you will not be able to learn how to become better.
“Just remember to learn from your mistakes, get up and keep going until you are where you want to be.”