MANILA, Philippines — Japanese restaurant chain Tokyo Tokyo Philippines said it has already hit its sales target for this year, driven by the opening of new stores and launching of new products.
“We have actually already hit our target,” Tokyo Tokyo marketing head Genaline Austero told reporters on the sidelines of the company’s umami fried chicken product launch yesterday.
Without disclosing actual targets, Austero said this was achieved in the second quarter of this year.
“The growth drivers are a lot of things. The expansion of the stores, primarily driven by the trailers. The opening of the full stores – the dine-in stores – and the new products that we keep launching month-on-month to keep our customers excited,”Austero said.
As part of its strategy to be innovative, Austero said the company has been opening trailer stores or food trucks during the pandemic.
Currently, the company has over 100 trailers in Luzon, most of which are in Metro Manila.
Outside of Metro Manila, Austero said the company has trailers in Tarlac, Laguna and Cavite.
“The very first outside of Luzon will be the Cebu trailers,” the company official said, adding that these two trailers are set to be opened next week.
“Right now, given that the restrictions have eased up, we’re actually doing good,”Austero said.
She said the company has been affected by the pandemic, just like other businesses, which led it to pivot its brand and launch its trailer stores.
The company official explained that most of its stores had been located within malls.
“So when the pandemic hit, we were badly affected because most of the malls closed for several months. So we pivoted, we put up these trailers and it’s actually an opportunity. We saw an opportunity for Tokyo Tokyo with that pivot that we did because it has brought our brand, our stores closer to our customers,” she said.
Austero said the company recently opened a new full store in SM Tanza.
She said that the company plans to open two to three more stores until December.
“Right now we have about more than 100 trailers and 70 full stores,” Austero said, adding that the company will end the year with about 175 to 180 stores.
“Tokyo Tokyo is once again changing the game and taking a huge step in fast casual dining by giving you a tastier experience on your favorite fried chicken that will keep you coming back for more,”the company said.
The new product is available in solo plates, bento meals and platters for sharing.