An interview with Mr Gary Kang, Managing Director of SmartBite
1. Can you give our readers an introduction to your company?
SmartBite is a B2B food solutions provider that connects businesses in Malaysia, Philippines, and Singapore with local restaurants and caterers for catering services.
2. The local food delivery scene is filled with major players such as Foodpanda, Grabfood, Air Asia Food, Shopee Food etc. How does Smart Bite stand out? What are some of the challenges?
We have a deep understanding of the needs and requirements of businesses when it comes to food at work, and we are able to provide tailored solutions that meet those needs.
That’s how we stand out. From the environmentally-friendly food packaging, to the copay options for employees and the customisation of our invoices, everything we do just works better for businesses.
Of course, there are always challenges to operating in any competitive market. One of our biggest challenges is managing the logistics of orders made at the 11th hour, particularly for large-scale events.
It can be a mad rush, but we work closely with our restaurant and catering partners to ensure that orders are delivered on time and that quality is consistently high. We are constantly monitoring the market and gathering feedback from our customers to ensure that we are improving our solutions and service.
3. Why don’t your clients go directly to a food provider?
There are many reasons, but there are a few key benefits that we provide. Firstly, food for employees is difficult to organise. Many restaurants won’t take large, direct orders from businesses, and choice is limited to a few caterers that can handle the order size, payment terms and other requirements.
That brings me to my second point: variety. With the 100’s of restaurants SmartBite has on its platform, clients immediately gain the ability to switch providers any time and have a huge selection of food to choose from to keep employees happy.
Lastly, we work closely with our clients across HR, Finance and Procurement functions to understand their budget, dietary requirements, and taste preferences, and then curate a selection of meals that meet those needs. This saves clients time in managing their own food orders.
Put that together with food prices that match those in-store, choosing to use SmartBite is a no brainer for our clients.
4. What kinds of businesses use your service?
A lot of our business is made up of MNCs or local brand names that look to provide recurring meals to their employees at a set budget. Our SmartCanteen solution allows employers to stick to their budget whilst employees get to pick individualised lunch boxes from selected restaurants. It easily addresses common challenges of budget, variety and food wastage or shortage.
However, our solutions are intended to cover most business needs – ranging from small one-off orders to fully-customised 1,000 pax company events.
5. What about restaurants? Why should restaurants use SmartBite?
Partnering with SmartBite is the easiest way for restaurants, chains, and catering companies to serve Corporate Malaysia.
Our team helps restaurants curate a menu that is tailored to the preferences of corporate clients, and we provide comprehensive marketing and promotion support to boost visibility.
With tens of thousands of orders from employees each month, partnering with SmartBite eliminates the need for restaurants to approach companies and independently figure out their food preferences.
6. What is the most critical initiative you are working on now at SmartBite and how do you plan on achieving it?
We’ve been working on developing a new tagging system and algorithm to recommend restaurants to our clients. Our system collects and matches all the different food preferences of employees to a list of cuisines and other relevant indicators, ultimately recommending the top restaurants that suit the taste buds of our client organisations.
As data enthusiasts, we are tweaking and tinkering with this system to be so effective that it can make recommendations just as accurate as your Netflix movie suggestions.
7. What do you think about the startup environment in Malaysia?
What better place than Malaysia to grow a startup centred around food. Malaysia’s diverse population presents a challenge to all startups. With so many diverse groups making up the population, there is a wide range of food preferences, dietary restrictions, languages and cultures to consider.
That being said, Malaysia is one of the most developed countries in Southeast Asia. It has a diverse economy, and a well-educated population. These factors can make it a good testing ground for startups looking to expand into other countries in the region.
I like to believe that if a startup can navigate the complexities of Malaysia, and build a successful business there, it can find a way to adapt to the rest of Southeast Asia.
8. Thanks you for taking part in this interview! If there’s business out there that’s interested in providing meals to their employees or a restaurant that’s interested in serving it, how can they reach you?
Visit our website at trysmartbite.com or drop us a line at info@trysmartbite.com
