Tam Jai uses Australia as launchpad to Western markets
The restaurant chain seeks to expand to the UK, Europe, the US, and Canada.
Hong Kong noodle chain Tam Jai International Co. Ltd. (TJI) recently made its debut in the Australian fast-casual restaurant market as part of a bigger plan to penetrate Western markets.
The company, which plans to open 20 to 30 outlets for its TamJai Mixian brand in the next few years, chose Australia as the starting point of its expansion to the West because it is near Asia.
“This makes Australia a unique location for TJI to explore the Western market, thanks to its high acceptance and sophistication of Asian food, as well as its role as a good melting pot for us to adapt to the Western culture,” Daren Lau, chairman, executive director, and CEO at Tam Jai, told QSR Media.
Australia is also in a time zone that is much closer to Hong Kong, letting them provide better support. The group seeks to expand to the broader Western market, including the UK, Europe, the US, and Canada.
Tam Jai launched TamJai Mixian—a simpler name that is supposed to make the brand more global audience-friendly whilst preserving the essence of the original TamJai Yunnan Mixian (1996) and TamJai SamGor Mixian (2008) brands in Hong Kong.
“We have shortened the brand name, making it easier for our international audiences to read and pronounce whilst still capturing all the characters and flavours of the two TamJai brands in Hong Kong,” Lau said.
He said they would initially focus on cities such as Melbourne and Sydney, with plans to gradually expand to other states with larger Asian populations.
“In our first phase of development, we plan to open a total of two to three restaurants in Melbourne by the end of March 2025, followed by the expansion to Sydney in the next stage,” he added.
The company has also adapted some items on its menu to cater to Australian customers. “We have been exploring various local popular produce for our toppings, such as Wagyu beef and abalone,” he added.
TamJai Mixian offers eight must-try bowls with pre-set toppings and soup bases to simplify ordering for first-time customers. The group has also revamped its ordering system to suit the international market.
Whilst their customisable way of ordering is adapted from Hong Kong-style cart noodles and is familiar to customers in their home market, overseas clients might find the wide range of options overwhelming.
“To streamline the ordering process for international patrons, we introduced more pre-set mixian (rice noodle) combos and revamped the food ordering sequence,” the CEO said.
“Customers can now start by choosing a soup base (one of six options), then select their preferred level of spiciness (one of 10 levels), and finally pick from over 30 toppings. After that, customers could select their snacks and drinks,” he added.
A soup-tasting counter is available to help customers pick their spice level in the soup bases.
“We are also exploring the use of local produce in our sauces, such as avocado on pepper century eggs sauce,” Lau said. “This is going to be launched at a later stage.”
Reflecting on the company’s early efforts to expand overseas, Lau cited the challenges they faced in educating local customers about their unique selling points.
“The culture and dining habits of an overseas market are quite different from those of Hong Kong,” he pointed out. “When we first launched overseas, it took a lot of effort to educate local audiences about our unique selling propositions.”
Lau said he is optimistic about their global expansion strategy and ability to replicate their success in Hong Kong.
