THURSDAY, March 28, 2024
nationthailand

COCA heads back to Kuala Lumpur

COCA heads back to Kuala Lumpur

Asian dining chain Coca Restaurant is returning to Malaysia with plans to open four new outlets in the next three years, targeting a new generation of discerning diners.

Starting in expansion efforts in Kuala Lumpur, the restaurant will be opening an elegant new outlet focusing on lifestyle dining and high-quality produce in a prime location in the Bangsar Shopping Centre – an upmarket lifestyle mall in KL’s exclusive Bangsar neighbourhood.

Coca Malaysia Sdn Bhd will be led by co-owners, Jannio Shun and Elizabeth Thea. The new eatery will seat approximately 100 and serve Thai-Cantonese cuisine, with along with Coca’s signature hot pot, creative stock broths specially made for Malaysia and regionally renowned super suki sauce. The focus will as usual be on the freshest ingredient including live seafood, premium beef and much more. The opening of the new restaurant marks its return to Malaysia following an absence of seven years, before which it had a presence in the country for 20 years, with the signature hot pot menu delighting diners in various locations, including KL Plaza and Petaling Jaya’s 1 Utama mall.

The company returns with a change of partnership and a new strategy to open in upmarket malls as well as free-standing restaurants – a strategy which has been very successful in markets such as Thailand, Singapore, Japan, Vietnam and Indonesia, over the last seven years.

“It’s great to be back,” said Trevor MacKenzie, managing director of Coca and Mango Tree Restaurants Worldwide. “We believe now is the perfect time to be returning to Malaysia. The market has changed since we were last here; typically, consumers are younger now, spending power has increased and we are confident the pork-free Coca Restaurant concept will appeal to millennials and young families seeking fresh cuisine and a social dining experience.”

With the launch of the new Coca Restaurant in KL, the chain will operate a collection of 24 outlets across Asia, including nine in Thailand, five in Vietnam, four in Indonesia, three in Singapore and two in Japan.

The group’s Malaysian portfolio is expected to reach at least four outlets in KL alone in the next three years. Coca and Mango Tree worldwide now has a global portfolio of 64 restaurants across its various brands.

 

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