Capture the Market
An
exciting new brand has launched in 2003, targeting an up and coming new market.
Step forward AJ's Piri Piri, which is looking to capture a market that has
taken the US by storm.
The over-saturation of the fast-food market, combined with a movement toward healthier living, is currently seeing new food brands turn the concept around and bring something genuinely new to the marketplace. Enter AJ's Piri Piri, a European brand aiming to occupy the underdeveloped mid-spend market that has become such a popular success in the US.
Developed by Fast Food Systems, a company that has developed a lot of experience in franchising food concepts, AJ's puts a new twist on piri piri (spicy chicken), a product that is growing in popularity. The brand has developed booster cooker technology that not only provides a distinctive flavour, but also cuts down the cooking time and costs involved. This has enabled AJ's to put together an eatery concept that offers a restaurant atmosphere with fast food prices - the average customer spend comes in at 7-10 Euros (GB£4.40-6.30).
“The mid-spend market is a niche that is not very well served in the UK and Europe,” observes the brand’s managing director Andrew Withers. “AJ's provides a nice, quiet ambience, a healthier product to traditional evening meal replacement products and all at a reasonable price. It’s poised to grow rapidly and become a leading brand in an up and coming market.”
The
piri piri is halal chicken, which doesn’t exclude any races or religions, and AJ's bases its marinating techniques on
Portuguese methods developed in the 1600s. The chicken is supplied to the
restaurants pre-marinated, using a tumbling method which allows the sauces
to penetrate the chicken to the very centre. The chicken is then baked in
the tri-combination booster oven which employs a combination of steam, microwaves
and convection heating to cook fast while retaining more moisture than traditional
ovens (allowing up to 50% less shrinkage). The chicken is then grilled to
glaze the sauces (lemon and herb, mild piri piri and hot piri piri), which
can be customised by the customer. The resulting product is suitable to European
tastes, produced without frying and consistent in quality.
Complementary products include pork, flavoured breads, wraps, BBQ spareribs, beef smoked sandwiches, pitta bread, side salads, Ben & Jerry’s ice cream and Brand beer, plus a kid’s menu of non-spicy chicken fillets and nuggets.
The
first AJ's was launched in The Netherlands in January, a central location
in Europe to fit in with the brand’s expansive plans. “The concept is well- suited to secondary locations, ideally covering 150sqm and
holding 80-100 seats,” Withers reveals. “Using conservative projections of 400 customers per day with an average spend
of 7 Euros (GB£4.40), that’s a turnover of around 3,000 Euros (GB£1,890). On our opening night alone we took 1,000 (GB£630), and as word spreads this concept is set to take off.”
AJ's has already targeted the UK, France and Germany for initial expansion,
plus further growth in the Netherlands, with area developers and multi-unit
franchisees sought to take the brand into major cities. “We
are initially looking to co-own pilot stores, both to back up our confidence
and support in the concept and to maintain high standards of quality to firmly
establish the AJ's brand,” Withers pledges. “We want to talk to individuals who possess experience of running a successful
business, the necessary finance to be capable of growing, man-management
skills and, ideally, food industry experience. They will then be equipped
to get involved in capturing the mid-spend market and creating a massively
successful food brand.”
© 2003 Franchise International