Mango Tree Celebrates 20 Years of Success in Japan
For example, in 2017 the company opened a new Mango Tree Kitchen at Tokyo Station, its second outlet at this busy rail hub. Then in 2020, a Mango Tree Café started catering to customers at Tokyo Dome City, a major entertainment venue and amusement park located adjacent to one of the Japanese capital’s main sporting arenas. Bright, vibrant and inviting, these venues – and many others across the country – benefit from high levels of passing pedestrian traffic and a thriving lunchtime market. These concepts would not have been possible in Japan before 2002, when Thai food was only a full-service, fine-dining experience.
It is little wonder that Mango Tree has won multiple awards in Japan, including FAB Award for “Individual Food & Beverage Offer of the Year in a Railway Station” and a Thai Select award, which is granted to Thai companies that promote the kingdom’s culture overseas.
“The beauty of Mango Tree is that it spans generations. Customers’ tastes evolve and Mango Tree has evolved too, hence our success of being able to launch all our different tiers in Japan, from fine-dining to Mango Tree Cafés in malls and Mango Tree Kitchens in train stations. We’re now even launching three roadside outlets – standalone locations in the suburbs. We are the leader in Thai cuisine in Japan and look forward to expanding even further across the country in future,” said Trevor MacKenzie, Global Managing Director of Mango Tree Worldwide.
This strategy has faced challenges however, none greater than the global pandemic which had a devastating impact on Japan’s thriving dining F&B sector. Mr. MacKenzie revealed that COVID-19 “really disrupted the market in Japan” and impacted its ability to attract talent.
“During this time, Mango Tree’s focus was not as much on expansion as ensuring we have the people to deliver the product to our customers. Even though the lockdown is over, people are still hesitant to come back into the industry as there is still uncertainty. This is human nature; our business is a people business and while everyone speaks about automation, people still want a personal experience,” he explained.
Looking ahead, Mango Tree will accelerate its development strategy in Japan with new openings under a full spectrum of concepts, ranging from full-service restaurants to “grab and go” outlets. As the group’s largest global market, Japan will continue to drive the growth of Mango Tree’s portfolio as it strides confidently towards its target of operating 100 locations worldwide by 2025.