Welcome to Students Incorporated. I'm your host,
Mr. Jason. Join me weekly as my students and
I bring you content that's informative, positive,
fun, and uplifting. This podcast is created and
produced with the help of students from the International
Community School of Bangkok. We often hear that
the restaurant business is one of the toughest
industries in the world. So how do you go from
opening a single ramen shop in Bangkok a highly
competitive market, to building one of Thailand's
fastest -growing dining empires. Today, we are
stepping inside the mind of Mr. Min, the visionary
founder of the Yuzu Group, which includes at
least 10 food brands such as Yuzu Ramen, Thai
Thai Boat Noodles, and Yuzu Suki, among others.
We're going to find out how he turned a passion
for flavor into a powerhouse business using curiosity,
creativity, and a bold growth mindset. Whether
you're a foodie or a future CEO, this is a story
about refining the experience. But before we
talk with our guests, let's hear our quote of
the day and get some headline news. Our quote
of the day comes from Mark Zuckerberg. He said,
the biggest risk is not taking any risk. In a
world that is changing really quickly, the only
strategy that is guaranteed to fail is not taking
risks. I love this because it perfectly captures
the entrepreneurial spirit. You can't build something
revolutionary like the Yuzu Group without being
willing to step outside your comfort zone. Mr.
Min started with a single ramen shop and has
now built a multi -brand powerhouse. That doesn't
happen by playing it safe. It's a great reminder
for us and for Mr. Min. Innovation requires that
bold leap. If he hadn't taken the risk to try
new flavors, new concepts, or scale the business,
we wouldn't be having this conversation today.
It sets a brilliant tone for our chat about a
zest for success. And that's our quote of the
day. Now on to some headline news. Thank you
for the quote of the day. Now let's look what's
happening in the food world with our headline
news. Our first story comes from the National
Restaurant Association's forecast. The headline
is, Southeast Asian cuisine takes the global
top spot. According to the report, global demand
for Thai, Vietnamese, and Filipino flavors has
hit an all -time high. But here's the interesting
part. Diners are no longer looking for generic
Asian fusion. They want hyper -regional authenticity.
Specific dishes with specific provinces. This
shift towards authentic storytelling in food
is exactly what brands like Yuzu Group have been
doing and capitalizing on, proving that local
culture is a global asset. Next, we move to technology
with a story from Tableo regarding a future of
service. The headline reads, Restaurants Turn
to AI Agents to Fix Labor Crunch. We aren't just
talking about chatbots anymore. This past year,
restaurants have been adopting AI agents that
can automatically manage inventory, schedule
staff, and even negotiate supply orders. While
this helps solve the chronic labor shortage,
industry experts warn that the challenge for
the next decade will be balancing this cold efficiency
with the warm human touch of hospitality. And
finally, a major shift in the battle of brands
from courts. McDonald's dethrones Starbucks as
world's most valuable restaurant brand. After
a decade of dominance, Starbucks has slipped
to second place following a year of customer
dissatisfaction and price hikes. Meanwhile, McDonald's
has reclaimed the crown by focusing intensely
on value and simplified menus. There's a massive
reminder for all entrepreneurs that no matter
how big you get, if you lose connection with
your core customer, you can lose your lead. From
the rise of Thai flavors to the AI revolution
and the battle of giants, the food industry is
moving faster than ever. Thank you, Josiah. That
last story about Starbucks and McDonald's really
highlights how competitive this industry really
is. It's not just about cooking good food. It's
about building a brand that can survive and scale.
And that is the perfect transition to our main
guest today. He started with a single shop and
has successfully scaled it into a multi -brand
portfolio that captures exactly that authentic
energy we just heard about. So Proud, go ahead
and get us started. Welcome to the show, Mr.
Min. Could you please introduce yourself and
tell us a little bit about what you do? Okay,
so my name is Min. I'm a CEO and founder of Yusup
Group. I started Yusup Group since 2018. First
shop is Yusup Ramen, and then following... Following
months, I opened Yuzu Omakase. And after that,
eight years. Since then, now, I'm here. I would
say I'm a big fan of Yuzu Suki. Like, it's my
comfort restaurant. So what inspired you to start
Yuzu Group in the first place? So it's more like,
it's not a group at first. It's more like a brand
that I wanted to do. I came across this space
in Siam Square eight years ago. In Siam Square,
I saw it three. And then I just finished grad
school from Columbia. um coming back deciding
what to do and then i found my passion in food
i always like go try new things even though it's
like street food fine dining everywhere um all
around the world and then i came across this
very good opportunity the space in siam so a
very nice very prime location and then i thought
to myself like what should i do like what do
i like to eat and what's my strength what's what's
my passion and then uh i i came across this ramen
infused with yuzu from tokyo from all over the
world and there are a few places that serve yuzu
infused ramen and then i thought okay if i do
it in thailand then i would be the first and
then nobody would do it and nobody would back
then nobody would really know like what yuzu
is so i feel like it's a good shot and then i'll
be the first in thailand then there i hired like
a group of japanese on rd team and then along
with me we developed this um yuzu infused ramen
for like over a year and then we launched the
first one in Going back to grad school, what's
one lesson from your student years that you still
use today? I think it comes from one of my professors.
His name is Mark. He said that all his success
right now is contributed to just one thing that
he did. All he did is ask. So he taught me the
things that I didn't know or I would love to
know that the only action I have to do in life
in order to succeed or achieve what I want is
ask. I asked a lot of people about a lot of stuff
in every context, everywhere, right? Let's say
today, like, what are we doing? What should I
do? How should I solve this? How should I tackle
this? So I think everything that has made me
who I am and my team today is I asked my way
through. Because sometimes people overlook asking
questions as like important factors. So the biggest
challenge you faced early on and like, how do
you overcome it? So then again, back to the asking.
I feel like the asking part is somewhat very
simple, but I think people underestimate the
power of asking. I feel like because the things
you said, that the obstacles I face, right? All
I did is ask, ask the right people, ask the right
team, ask everyone, right? So every time I found
myself struggle in certain context, certain problem,
then I would ask. my team i would ask my seniors
i would ask my mentor i would ask the people
who has expertise in that field and then solve
it so back back back at it again so it's asking
it's the asking part would you say the asking
part plays into staying creative while keeping
the business running efficiently for sure because
i think asking is not just asking for advice
right it's more like exchanging ideas also like
some some people when we were in a conversation
then They're afraid to talk. They're afraid to
express themselves and all that. And then we
would have to ask them, what do you think? How
about this? If it goes this way, then how do
you think it would go? I mean, all these things
really promote creativity. So as we know, many
people definitely want to join your team. So
what qualities do you look for in young people
that you want specifically? For me, right now
is... honestly for my team specifically maybe
not for i want ambition i want people who know
what they want like and be ambitious enough to
you know ask for it like okay what do you want
in like three to five years people should have
like specific like short term even like if you
don't have a long -term goal you should have
specific short -term goal like within six or
one one year what do you want to gain like if
you want to join my team what do you want financial
gain how much within How many years? Because
exactly if we know the compensation, we are able
to like, okay, if you want this amount, this
much, then what do you have to do? What do you
have to, how do you grow into that financial
incentive that you want? So ambitiousness, ambition
is very, very, very important because if you
want to stay still, you don't want to grow, you
don't want to improve, then what's the point
of, I would say living or even like... waking
up then like yeah all right thank you Mr. Min
that point about asking I like that a lot so
thank you that kind of reminds me of something
we talk a lot about here at school which is just
being a lifelong learner so having ambition and
just that ability to learn so that's really good
we've covered a lot from your origin story and
the challenges of starting out But we need to
pause there for a quick break. When we come back,
we're going to discuss resilience and how to
handle that pressure when you're running an empire,
if you can call it that, and get your advice
for students who want to follow in your footsteps.
So stay with us. We'll be right back after this
short PSA. And that's a perfect pause point because
you can't talk about flavor and business without
talking about the foundation, safety and quality.
This is a quick public service announcement for
all our listeners who are planning their own
food ventures. Whether it's a pop -up, a food
truck, or a restaurant, food safety is non -negotiable.
Remember the four C's of food safety that every
successful kitchen lives by. Clean, cook, chill,
and avoid cross -contamination. Your reputation
is built on the trust your customers place in
every single bite. Min's success with the Yuzu
Group isn't just about bold flavors. It's about
consistency and quality control on a massive
scale. Make sure your business, no matter how
small, prioritizes the health and safety of your
patients above all else. A safe dish is a successful
dish. And we are back. Before the break, Mr.
Min shared how Yuzu Group began. Now I want to
shift gears to the mindset of a CEO. Scaling
a business isn't just about logistics. It's about
managing. and managing a lot, including yourself.
Proud, go ahead and get us started with this
segment again. I think stress comes from when
you face a certain situation and you don't know
how to solve it. Stress happens because you don't
know what to do when you face a particular problem.
And when you don't know what to do, then you're
stressed. But every time that you face... then
you have to figure out the ways, right? Say when
you go skiing, right? You have two choices. You
look at the trees or you look at the way, right?
Of course, I mean, you have to take into account
the trees. It's a challenge. But then if you
look at the trees, then you wouldn't find the
solution or the way, right? So when you go skiing,
you look for the pathway that you go through
the trees. So usually when you see problems,
you see problems as the tree when you go skiing.
So it's like you have to look for the way, but
the tree is not the problem. It's like you cannot
find the way yet, but the tree is there. Why
do you find the way around it? So that's every
time when I think of problems, I think of it
that way. So I think I have a pretty good stress
management if I look at the problem or obstacles
that way. Let's say another day, of course, every
day we have unsolved problems and we have to
think about it another. When the team or I myself
cannot think of something, we try to sit on it
a little bit. We'll circle back to it. The situation
where we cannot solve that problem is not something
to be stressful just yet. So I think when we
have to look through it in another perspective,
give it time, talk to a lot of people and then
try to get something out of this problem. logically
and like in a timely timely manner so i feel
like we have done your best i feel like we have
done our best in the time given to us already
and we put it there sit around a little bit and
then sit on a little bit and then come back so
at the end of the day it's more like have we
done our best to tackle this problem is there
any because if everything we do minutes by minutes
today is the best we can do to solve this problem
let's let's do it tomorrow again so it's more
like I think it's that kind of mentality that
I have to manage my stress level. So frankly,
it's like, OK, I can still sleep every night,
you know, go to bed and wake up fresh. You know,
it's not like it's in my head. I have to like,
I cannot sleep like that. Shifting back to the
mindset of the CEO, what emerging trends in food
and hospitality should students pay attention
to for wanting to get into this business? I think
it's more like. behavior behavior of consumers
these days is shifting a lot after covid i think
i think after covid is the one thing right okay
we we see a lot of like a rise in delivery like
uh things but i think it's more like the i say
the the world has become more digital the world
has become stagnant with data online so i think
it's more like people have access to i think
um you have to bear with me for this. It's more
like, I feel like people has been exposed to
more like a monitors, like laptop, mobile, a
lot. Everything has become so digital and then
we are overwhelmed with data like graphics, illustrations,
animations, movies. Everything is around us.
Everything is digital already, right? So I feel
like people are very overwhelmed with that. So
back to the F &B industry. I think people are
trying to escape it. I think it's more like a,
I think the world, the new luxury has become
more offline. in every way say i think in even
in restaurant like people don't when when people
eat i feel like it's more like a a time to relax
a time to wind down right so in terms of menu
even the food even the interior everything i
think has everything has to be simplified in
the next three to five years, I think we see
a lot of, I think minimalism in terms of interior
or even like simplification of menu or even the
names or even the SKU of menu presented. You
see a lot of brands right now that, you know,
the brand that thrives right now is not the brand
that has like, you know, a full -scale restaurant.
Okay, full -scale restaurant is mainly for family
dining or whatever. But I think people now, behavior
change. People want something quick. People want
something simple. Quick and simple. Simple, not
just the food is simple. SKU has to be. very
small, like easy to decide. If this restaurant
sells chicken over rice, they sell chicken over
rice. If you put noodles over rice or chicken
over noodles, it becomes like stagnant. Like
we are overwhelmed. Even though we look at it,
we don't see why is it overwhelmed? But I mean,
underneath are like, I don't know, everything
that everyone has been exposed to all day. I
feel like the SKU of the menu has to be... So
to put it in a... Very plain word. It's like
everything has to be super simple. Simplicity
of everything in terms of F &B, specifically
the industry that I'm in, I think is mandatory
in the next three to five years. So what is one
mistake young entrepreneurs should avoid? Over
-invest in things. I think eight years that I
do this business, I mean, I still, okay, I still
figuring out a lot of aspects of business. I
feel like people try, I think when we do business,
we have only one aim, right? It's like if we
do business, we set up a company, the company
function is to make profit, right? To make profit
is revenue minus expense is profit, okay? Whether
it's marginal, net or whatever. But then if that
is the business is created for, then the investments
that, you know, people like a young generation
or even me back then, even like a me a year ago,
right? We tend to over -invest in a lot of things
that shouldn't be invested in, right? So you
have to prioritize the investment. Okay, F &B
specifically, how do you invest in interiors?
Like sound system, like raw material and everything.
Do not over -invest. I've met people, okay, we
want the best one. We want the good one. Okay,
this is my first project. Let's do this this
way. I want this exact table. It's expensive,
but I want it. This and that. Prioritize things
a little bit. Do things that matters to your
business and can generate the most revenue. That
has to make sense in the way. What's a practical
first step a student can take to start a project
or business? I think everywhere. I think right
now, I think online. I think online would be
something that everyone has to tap into. I think
at this digital age, I mean, I think everything
is possible. I'm thinking if I were 18 or 19
or 20, I would study online e -commerce a lot.
Then I would go into it, like how to minimal
investment and sell to the most majority or mass
group of people, mainly even in Thailand or around
the world. I think if we figure that out, the
algorithm of social medias and algorithm of how
these channels and that channels and how influence
like certain platforms or whatever, then... I
think start online because super minimal investment
and then limitless opportunities. If you could
give one message to students dreaming big, what
would it be? Okay, I think when I always encourage
people to dream super big. I mean, you only live
once, right? I mean, it's very cliche, but I
mean, once in your life, whatever you want to
do, you do it. You go do it. You go kick it in
the butt. I don't know. But big, the size of
the dream, I have to really emphasize on this.
No one, your dream cannot be compared to other
people's dream. Say, for example, say your dream
is what? Grow 1 million trees in your lifetime,
right? And stay in a cave with like your family,
right? That's your dream, right? If you can achieve
it, you do it. Bravo, good for you. Some people
want 1 billion baht. Okay, good for them. Let's
go do it. Some people want 10 million baht. Let's
do it. But the $10 million and the $1 billion
cannot be compared because people don't want
the same thing, right? Okay, financial gain.
Some people want to be in a money game. Okay,
let's do it, right? But is it the whole dream
that you ever dreamed of? No, but say it's your
first dream, right? Whatever you want to do,
as long as you don't harm people, you don't take
advantage of people or being unfair or dishonest,
I say you go do it. Whatever you want to do,
you do it. But do not... Put your dream into
a scale of other people. That's like, no, no,
no, no, no. Yeah. Okay, well, thank you very
much. I like that dream big, but don't compare
to other people. I think that's a fantastic note
to end on. Mr. Min, thank you again for being
our guest today and for sharing your time and
insights with us. Your journey from that first
ramen shop till now is a powerful reminder. that
passion combined with the right systems and a
big dream can truly go global. And it has been
our pleasure having you on the show. So thank
you very much. And that brings us to the end
of this episode. A huge thank you to Mr. Min
for taking us inside the mind of a restaurateur.
My big takeaway today, authenticity scales and
don't settle for small dreams. Whether it's the
hyper -regional food trends we heard about in
the news or Mr. Min's dedication to quality and
simplicity in his restaurant brands, success
comes from when you refuse to compromise on what
makes your product unique and special. Thank
you all for tuning in. If you enjoyed today's
episode, please remember to subscribe or leave
us a review. It really helps us bring more great
guests like this to the show. Until next time,
keep learning and keep creating. And as always,
this podcast would not be possible without the
hard work and support of our international student
production team. All music and sound effects
are courtesy of Pixabay .com, a vibrant community
of creatives sharing copyright -free images,
videos, and music. And we're signing off until
next time. We are Students Incorporated, because
your voice matters. Ooh.