COCA Restaurant, the innovative Asian dining chain, is returning to Malaysia with plans to open four new outlets in the next three years, targeting a new generation of discerning diners.
Kicking off in Kuala Lumpur, COCA Restaurant will be opening an elegant new outlet focusing on lifestyle dining and high-quality produce in a prime location in the Bangsar Shopping Center (or “BSC” as the locals call it) – an upmarket lifestyle mall in KL’s exclusive Bangsar neighbourhood.
Seating approximately 100 diners, the new COCA Restaurant will serve an enticing à la carte menu of Thai-Cantonese cuisine, with along with their signature hot pot, creative stock broths (including one that will be created exclusively for Malaysia) and regionally-renowned super suki sauce. Chefs will focus on the freshest ingredients, a COCA core value, including live seafood, premium beef and much more.
The opening of the new restaurant marks COCA’s return to Malaysia following an absence of seven years. COCA previously operated in the country for 20 years, with their 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 locations with high-footfall in upmarket malls as well as freestanding restaurants – a strategy which has been very successful in markets such as Thailand, Singapore, Japan, Vietnam and Indonesia, over the last seven years.
This blueprint for success that sees COCA return to Malaysia, where it expects to attract the new generation of foodies who appreciate lifestyle dining experiences, including families, millennials and VIPs, who frequent BSC. COCA Malaysia Sdn Bhd will be led by co-owners, Jannio Shun and Elizabeth Thea
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, including COCA, located in key global cities.