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 is known for its customisable sushi and iconic product packaging that was conceptualised and designed by a team from Kinetic Singapore.[1] As of June 2020, Maki-San is managed by Alvin Wong in his capacity as the brand's Director.[2]

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.[3][4] Over the years, Maki-San has 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 its products.[14] Singaporean food blogs like Daniel Food Diary[15] and Miss Tam Chiak[16] were among the sites that promoted its 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

Over the years, Maki-San has expanded its range of ingredients, offering unconventional sushi ingredients like tandoori chicken, chilli crab sauce and satay sauce.[18] It has also released new product packaging designs, some of which are only available for limited periods. In 2020, the brand launched its 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

According to Maki-San's Facebook page, the brand has 19 outlets across Singapore as of June 2020.[20] 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.[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 operational 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 and designed the brand's product packaging, its website, and the store's look and feel.[41] In 2013, the Maki-San and Kinetic Singapore project won the Bronze Pencil award in the Interactive discipline category at The One Show, a prestigious award show in the creative industry.[42]

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'.[43] 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. ↑ Goh, Esther. "Maki-San - Branding & Print". Behance. Accessed on 12 June 2020.
  2. ↑ "Alvin Wong". LinkedIn. Accessed on 12 June 2020.
  3. ↑ 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.
  4. ↑ Maureen. "Maki-San : Design Your Own Sushi & Salad". Miss Tam Chiak. Updated on April 27, 2017. 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. ↑ Teng, Angela. "It’s a wrap: From ad man to sushi boss". Today. December 17, 2016. 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. ↑ Maki-San. "Where to find Maki-San". Facebook. March 19, 2020. Accessed on 12 June 2020.
  21. ↑ Teng, Angela. "It’s a wrap: From ad man to sushi boss". Today. December 17, 2016. 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. ↑ "2013 ONE SHOW - INTERACTIVE, MAKI-SAN". The One Club For Creativity. Accessed on 12 June 2020.
  43. ↑ 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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