Maki-San

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Photo credit to Kinetic Singapore. Retrieved from Behance.

Maki-San is a sushi and salad chain founded and based in Singapore. The brand offers customisable sushi and salads and is recognised for its iconic product packaging. As of June 2020, Maki-San is managed by Alvin Wong in his capacity as the brand's Director.[1]

Background

Maki-San was founded in 2012. The brand's business concept was inspired by do-it-yourself sushi restaurants in the United States of America.[2][3] Over the years, Maki-san has offered unconventional sushi ingredients like tandoori chicken, chilli crab sauce and satay sauce.[4] It has also obtained Halal-certifications for each of its stores.[5]

Current management

As of June 2020, Maki-San is a brand associated with The Alchemy Partnership, a creative agency based in Singapore at which Alvin Wong is an executive partner and the Chief Executive Officer.[6] Alvin joined Maki-San as an official partner in 2013.[7] He has been working in the advertising industry since 1999.[8]

Pictured: Alvin Wong (left) and Omar Marks (right). Photo credit to Koh Mui Fong/ TODAY.

Founders

Maki-San was founded by Omar Marks and Raj Mulani.[9] Omar Marks was born in India and attended the Gujarat University from 1996 to 1999 where he was a student of chemistry.[10] Before founding Maki-San, Omar worked in the advertising industry where he was a copywriter.[11] He managed Maki-San as the Chief Executive Officer from 2012 until 2018.[12] In 2020, Marketing Interactive reported that Omar and Raj left Maki-San due to diverging views with the partners about the brand's future.[13]

Origins

The interior of Maki-San's first outlet at The Cathay. Photo adapted from Kinetic Singapore. Retrieved from Behance.

Maki-San's first outlet was located at The Cathay. In the early days of its operations, the brand contacted bloggers and media sites as a way to market their products.[14] Singaporean food blogs like Daniel Food Diary[15] and Miss Tam Chiak[16] were among the sites that promoted the debut store at The Cathay. Maki-San proved to be a hit with the younger consumer base that frequented the mall and the business reportedly broke even in 15 months.[17]

Business expansion

According to Maki-San's Facebook page, the brand has 19 outlets across Singapore as of June 2020.[18] Over the years, Maki-San has also expanded its range of ingredients and product packaging designs, some of which are only available for limited time periods. In 2020, the brand released Lunar New Year themed sushi boxes along with two festive sushi rolls.[19]

The 'Firecracker Mala Roll' was released in time for the Lunar New Year celebrations in 2020. Photo from Facebook.

Local expansion

Today reported that Maki-San had six outlets by 2016 at the following locations - The Cathay, Cineleisure Orchard, I12 Katong, Bedok Mall, Compass One and NUS Science Drive 2.[20] In an interview with Vulcan Post that was published in April 2018, former co-founder Omar shared:

"For us, suburbs with a density of schools, universities and residences, as well as a sprinkling of office spaces work best."[21]

The following table lists the existing Maki-San outlets of which the opening years are known.

Year Outlet Refs.
2019 Tiong Bahru Plaza [22]
Oasis Terraces [23]
2018 Woodgrove [24]
Kampung Admiralty [25]
NorthPoint City [26]
Parkway Parade [27]
Century Square [28]
2017 SingPost Centre [29]
International Plaza [30]
Jurong Point Shopping Centre [31]
Junction 8 [32]
JEM [33]
Hillion Mall [34]
2016 Compass One [35]
Cineleisure Orchard [36]
2012 The Cathay [37]

Overseas expansion

In July 2018, Maki-San opened its first store overseas in Osaka, Japan. Omar and Alvin partnered with Yamamoto Masayoshi (Project Director) and Hitoshi Yokota (Franchise Owner) to secure the expansion.[38] As of June 2020, Google records the store as permanently closed. In November 2019, Maki-San opened a store in Jakarta, Indonesia.[39] The store, located in Plaza Indonesia, is still open as of June 2020.

Branding

Maki-San enlisted the help of Kinetic, a communications agency to develop the branding for the business.[40] The team at Kinetic Singapore conceptualised the brand's name, designed the iconic product packaging and the store's look and feel.[41]

Product packaging

As of June 2020, Maki-San's product packaging still features the hand-drawn motifs that had been developed by the Kinetic team. The repeated pattern of illustrated ingredients has become a recognisable part of Maki-San's visual identity. In 2019, Maki-San was featured as a part of National Gallery Singapore's exhibition programme titled 'Packaging Matters: Singapore’s Food Packaging Story from the Early 20th Century'.[42] Alvin Wong had been invited to speak about the brand's product packaging.

Social media presence

Maki-San is active on its social media platforms and has gained a substantial online following over the years. The brand uses its platforms to announce store openings, halal certifications and promotional campaigns alongside other brand-related content. As of June 2020, Maki-San has 13,500 followers on Instagram and over 24,000 followers on Facebook.

References/ Citations

  1. ↑ "Alvin Wong". LinkedIn. Accessed on 12 June 2020.
  2. ↑ Chan, Melissa. "S'pore DIY Sushi Chain Maki-San Is On A Roll - Sells 5,000 Makis A Day And Has Now Expanded To Japan". Vulcan Post. April 11, 2018. Accessed on 12 June 2020.
  3. ↑ Maureen. "Maki-San : Design Your Own Sushi & Salad". Miss Tam Chiak. Updated on April 27, 2017. Accessed on 12 June 2020.
  4. ↑ Teng, Angela. "It’s a wrap: From ad man to sushi boss". Today. December 17, 2016. Accessed on 12 June 2020.
  5. ↑ "Maki-San". Halal Tag. Accessed on 12 June 2020.
  6. ↑ "Alvin Wong". LinkedIn. Accessed on 12 June 2020.
  7. ↑ Teng, Angela. "It’s a wrap: From ad man to sushi boss". Today. December 17, 2016. Accessed on 12 June 2020.
  8. ↑ "Alvin Wong". LinkedIn. Accessed on 12 June 2020.
  9. ↑ Farzanah Farveen. "Maki-San founder starts new sushi brand Wooshi after 'incompatible views' on brand building". Marketing Interactive. May 14, 2020. Accessed on 12 June 2020.
  10. ↑ "Omar Marks". LinkedIn. Accessed on 12 June 2020.
  11. ↑ Teng, Angela. "It’s a wrap: From ad man to sushi boss". Today. December 17, 2016. Accessed on 12 June 2020.
  12. ↑ "Omar Marks". LinkedIn. Accessed on 12 June 2020.
  13. ↑ Farzanah Farveen. "Maki-San founder starts new sushi brand Wooshi after 'incompatible views' on brand building". Marketing Interactive. May 14, 2020. Accessed on 12 June 2020.
  14. ↑ Chan, Melissa. "S'pore DIY Sushi Chain Maki-San Is On A Roll - Sells 5,000 Makis A Day And Has Now Expanded To Japan". Vulcan Post. April 11, 2018. Accessed on 12 June 2020.
  15. ↑ "Maki San – Design Your Own Sushi and Salads. It’s Fun!". Daniel Food Diary. November 30, 2012. Accessed on 12 June 2020.
  16. ↑ Maureen. "Maki-San : Design Your Own Sushi & Salad". Miss Tam Chiak. Updated on April 27, 2017. Accessed on 12 June 2020.
  17. ↑ Teng, Angela. "It’s a wrap: From ad man to sushi boss". Today. December 17, 2016. Accessed on 12 June 2020.
  18. ↑ Maki-San. "Where to find Maki-San". Facebook. March 19, 2020. Accessed on 12 June 2020.
  19. ↑ Maki-San. "Caught all our limited edition sushi boxes yet?". Facebook. January 31, 2020. Accessed on 12 June 2020.
  20. ↑ Teng, Angela. "It’s a wrap: From ad man to sushi boss". Today. December 17, 2016. Accessed on 12 June 2020.
  21. ↑ Chan, Melissa. "S'pore DIY Sushi Chain Maki-San Is On A Roll - Sells 5,000 Makis A Day And Has Now Expanded To Japan". Vulcan Post. April 11, 2018. Accessed on 12 June 2020.
  22. ↑ Maki-San. "Maki-San Tiong Bahru Opens Today!". Facebook. July 17, 2019. Accessed on 12 June 2020.
  23. ↑ Maki-San. "Maki-San at Punggol Oasis Terraces is now open!". Facebook. January 11, 2019. Accessed on 12 June 2020.
  24. ↑ Maki-San. "Maki-San at The Woodgrove is NOW OPEN!". Facebook. November 23, 2018. Accessed on 12 June 2020.
  25. ↑ Maki-San. "Maki-San at Kampung Admiralty". Facebook. January 8, 2018. Accessed on 12 June 2020.
  26. ↑ Maki-San. Facebook. January 4, 2018. Accessed on 12 June 2020. Retrieved from: https://www.facebook.com/rollwithmakisan/posts/maki-san-at-northpoint-city-yishun-is-now-open-get-your-sushi-and-salad-cravings/1649023391807642/
  27. ↑ Maki-San. Facebook. January 17, 2018. Accessed on 12 June 2020. Retrieved from: https://www.facebook.com/rollwithmakisan/posts/maki-san-at-parkway-parade-opens-tomorrow-18-jan-come-say-hello-and-get-yourselv/1662119890497992/
  28. ↑ Maki-San. "Maki-San at Century Square is now ready to roll". Facebook. June 6, 2018. Accessed on 12 June 2020.
  29. ↑ Maki-San. Facebook. October 5, 2017. Accessed on 12 June 2020. Retrieved from: https://www.facebook.com/rollwithmakisan/posts/maki-san-at-singpost-centre-10-eunos-road-8-is-now-open-find-us-at-b1-165166-see/1560836790626303/
  30. ↑ Maki-San. Facebook. November 15, 2017. Accessed on 12 June 2020. Retrieved from: https://www.facebook.com/rollwithmakisan/photos/a.597484426961549/1598802216829760/?type=3&theater
  31. ↑ Maki-San. Facebook. October 5, 2017. Accessed on 12 June 2020. Retrieved from: https://www.facebook.com/rollwithmakisan/photos/a.597484426961549/1561065700603412/?type=3&theater
  32. ↑ Maki-San. Facebook. April 298, 2017. Accessed on 12 June 2020. Retrieved from: https://www.facebook.com/rollwithmakisan/photos/a.597484426961549/1406562419387075/?type=3&theater
  33. ↑ Maki-San. Facebook. April 29, 2017. Accessed on 12 June 2020. Retrieved from: https://www.facebook.com/rollwithmakisan/photos/a.455775001132493/1407433025966681/?type=3&theater
  34. ↑ Maki-San. Facebook. February 23, 2017. Accessed on 12 June 2020. Retrieved from: https://www.facebook.com/rollwithmakisan/photos/a.455775001132493/1336595566383761/?type=3&theater
  35. ↑ Maki-San. Facebook. September 2, 2016. Accessed on 12 June 2020. Retrieved from: https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1079974268712560
  36. ↑ Maki-San. Facebook. April 23, 2016. Accessed on 12 June 2020. Retrieved from: https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1079974268712560
  37. ↑ Teng, Angela. "It’s a wrap: From ad man to sushi boss". Today. December 17, 2016. Accessed on 12 June 2020.
  38. ↑ Chye, Noella. "It 'felt like we managed to sell ice to the Eskimos': Singapore sushi chain Maki-San on venturing to Japan". Channel News Asia. July 14, 2018. Accessed on 12 June 2020.
  39. ↑ Josa Lukman. "'Rendang’ sushi? DIY sushi restaurant goes the extra mile". The Jakarta Post. November 28, 2019. Accessed on 12 June 2020.
  40. ↑ Maki-San. Facebook. April 3, 2020. Accessed on 12 June 2020. Retrieved from: https://www.facebook.com/rollwithmakisan/posts/know-how-our-cool-and-fun-design-and-packaging-came-about-our-fabulous-communica/144714149033999/
  41. ↑ Lindquist, Diane. "MAKISAN". DIELINE. April 1, 2013. Accessed on 12 June 2020.
  42. ↑ National Gallery Singapore. Facebook. April 23, 2019. Accessed on 12 June 2020. Retrieved from : https://www.facebook.com/National.Museum.of.Singapore/posts/in-the-first-a-lighter-side-of-history-programme-held-in-conjunction-with-nms-la/2249503691776997/
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