Meet the man behind the chicken everybody’s raving about.
“I never knew it will grow this fast,” says Alexander Scott Tan, managing director of Bon Chon Philippines.
The 29-year-old still remembers the first day he opened his doors at Ayala Triangle Branch way back in November of 2010. “We were running out of chicken during our first day. It was truly an overwhelming response from the community,” he narrates.
When Scott, as he is fondly called, first tasted Bon Chon’s chicken when he was still living in the United States, he had a hunch that this kind of food will suit the Filipino’s taste buds. “Every time I vacationed in New York, Bon Chon was always my first and last stop. I got addicted to it,” he says.
Bon Chon or “New Village” is a Korean restaurant which traces its roots in South Korea. It conquered the United States and had most food critiques craving for the spicy chicken wings glazed in soy-garlic. The now famed chicken is crunchy in the outside while maintaining the juicy meat inside.
With a degree in Business Economics from St. Mary’s College in San Francisco, Scott used to be with Wells Fargo when he decided to try his hand in setting up his own business. He didn’t think twice of pursuing the one thing he loves to do—cooking.
“I lived alone and I had to feed myself so I learned how to cook,” Scott adds.
So addictive was Bon Chon’s chicken that he decided to learn how to cook it. He thought that the best way to learn how to cook his favorite chicken is to train with the master himself. Scott had the privilege of training with Mr. Sun—Bon Chon’s top chef.
From him, Scott learned that Bon Chon’s chicken is cooked twice. “Obviously, it’s deep fried. We fry it first to cook the chicken then we cook it again to melt the chicken fat. It makes the chicken crispier,” he narrates.
Scott spent 90 percent of his time in the kitchen with Mr. Sun. He describes working with the top chef as a very fun experience. “It was fast-paced and I learned a lot from the guy,” he says.
In July 2010, he obtained his Bon Chon franchise and brought it to the Philippines. True to his gut feel, the Filipinos loved the chicken. Scott says that he knew that Bon Chon would pass the litmus test of the Filipino’s very picky palate.
Today, Bon Chon has over 14 branches scattered all over the Metro. It will open its first provincial branch in Davao in December.
Asked how he would be able to sustain Bon Chon’s growth and keep his customers eating more chicken, he says, “As long as we maintain the freshness of our food and we keep on innovating, I think we can keep them coming back for more.”
He has tweaked the original US menu and added chapchae—Korean stir fried noodles. Scott says that chapchae is ‘endemic’ to the menu of Bon Chon Philippines. “I adjusted the recipe and made it sweeter to tailor it to the Pinoy’s taste,” he adds.
And now, Bon Chon New York is adding chapchae to their lineup together with fish tacos and fish and chips both also originated from the Philippine menu.
Originally, Bon Chon in the United States takes its form in a bar-restaurant but for the Philippines, Scott transformed it into a quick service resto. Explaining that he wanted Bon Chon to give the impression of being more family-oriented.
He then developed a system that is “more efficient without sacrificing quality of food and service.”
In the kitchen, he taught his crew to lessen the waiting time but the cooking is still right.
And as for the copycats, Scott welcomes them. “We embrace them! I look at them as a challenge to become better,” he says.
Another milestone for Bon Chon is when he decided to add food delivery to his services. He says that if running day to day operations is difficult, then delivery is more demanding.
“At first, we outsourced it but now we developed our own system. We will soon have a one-number system—a customer will just have to dial a specific number to contact Bon Chon’s delivery,” Scott explains.
Scott also has the social media platform to be thankful for. Through word of mouth, Bon Chon became a household name in the Internet. “It was truly a big help. It’s an economical way of using effective marketing,” he says.
According to Tan, the Bon Chon franchise costs around P9 to P12 million. He says that since he aims for quality over quantity, he screens every potential franchisee and he or she must pass the extensive process before he stamps his approval.
Scott continues to innovate the Bon Chon menu by introducing something new every quarter. He says that it also pays to take advantage of special occasions like Lenten season. For this lent, they offer guilt-free snacks like fish and chips, fish tacos and fish sandwich.
“We are thinking of retaining some of our lent dishes in our menu,” he adds.
Asked if he was able to get hold of the secret ingredient of the sauce which the chicken is marinated in, he just smiles and says, “Honestly, I don’t know. Mr. Sun never revealed it. In fact, the sauce is prepacked and is imported from Korea.”
Scott is the eldest in a brood of five. His family also owns The Spa franchise. And when he’s not busy working his magic in the kitchen, he plays basketball and golf. He is also the outdoorsy type who enjoys hiking, camping and rafting. But he admits that cooking is his first love.