Food for Thought

The founder of Warunk Upnormal, Stefanie Kurniadi, sits with Indonesia Tatler to share about her success story in the culinary business, redefining success and failure, and seizing opportunities

Foto: Dok. by Tatler Indonesia

The food and beverage industry will always thrive—after all, we will always need food to survive. But to stand out from the pack, entrepreneurs needs to be brave in seizing opportunities and in creating more innovations and differentiations. With this in mind, and with Indonesian cuisine as the main core of her business, Stefanie Kurniadi founded the Cita Rasa Prima (CRP) Group.

If you were to summarise the CRP Group, what would you say?
The CRP Group is the next big thing in the F&B industry in Indonesia. The group’s DNA is to generate happiness through food, and remain relevant, convenient, and valuable. Every brand managed by the CRP Group is not just a product, but the brand itself becomes part of our customer’s life. It is a lifestyle, a creative hub, and also a culinary experience, especially for millennials and GEN-Z.

What’s next for the CRP Group this year?
We have several targets to hit, one of which is growth in the number of our stores—we aim to achieve 200 outlets this year. Furthermore, we are also focusing on strategic initiatives, such as a tech-savvy approach as a one-stop reservation service through www. pesendulu.com and the first pay-attable system in Indonesia through our mobile application Upnormal Apps.

How about in five years ahead?
In five years, we aim to be the biggest food chain in Indonesia, and, furthermore, through continuous improvement, we aim to do what we have always dreamed of doing: to spread value in countries outside of Indonesia, making our country proud as a local brand that has succeeded in the global market.

How do you produce creative ideas and new innovations?
I remain open-minded, open to learning new things, and open to criticism so there will always be incentive to improve. I make every day fun and have a good work-life balance. Creativity and innovation only come when your brain is able to think clearly.

Source: Tatler Indonesia, July Issue, 2019