One of two speakers at last night's
Meet the Corporate Architects event was Michael Chan Yue-kwong, chairman of Café de Coral. In this podcast, he talks to me about how he is able to steer the world’s largest Chinese fast-services food chain through the financial crisis.
The group's name in Chinese means “everybody’s happy" and was founded 41 years ago by Chan’s father-in-law, Victor Lo Tang-seong. Mr Chan was formerly a city planner who was invited to join the company by his father in law in the 1983. He helped the company go public in 1986 when Café de Coral had just 30 outlets.
Twenty three years later, Café de Coral has almost 140 outlets, while it purchased rivals such as Ah Yee Leng Tong Chinese restaurants, Oliver’s and Spaghetti House. Abroad it acquired 50 per cent stakes in Shanghai’s New Asia Dabao and the Manchu Wok restaurants and China Inns in the US and Canada. AUDIO AFTER THE JUMP.
Click here to watch highlights of the interview.
And if you would like to hear my interview with Maxim's Michael Wu, the other speaker from last night's Meet the Corporate Architects event, listen to it here or watch it here.
