Imm Thai Fusion started in August 2015 with an intention to bring authentic Thai food as well as some of our neighbor dishes, the way Thais would like it, to the Wimbledon community. We hope to offer a comfortable space where people can come and relax with nice food and good drinks and enjoy our hospitality, all of these with a value for money. The founding team also looks to create a platform from which we could nurture and showcase the skills and passion of our team members that would contribute to the better of our society.

Throughout our journey, it became obvious to us that our restaurant has not only produced delicious food, we have also developed a happy team who enjoy serving and taking pride in their responsibilities. And now, not only Imm Thai Fusion wants to safeguard and improve its standard, we look to share the ownership with our staff who, in turn, share Imm Thai Fusion’s original values. This is how our Beckenham branch originated.

Why called “Imm Thai Fusion”? “Imm” means “full” (or not Hungry) in Thai. It is a common adjective that Thais use in conjunction with other words such as body and heart. The meaning of imm aligns with our intention for our customers to leave our restaurants full, not only in the stomach but also in their personal experiences and feeling. The word “Fusion” at the end has a sense of being closely knitted. It allows us to extend our creativity by making choices of our special menus from our neighbor countries like Vietnam, Laos, or even Japan in Thai style.

Current Strategy:

At the moment, our products and price range are considered in between up and middle market. A number of our dine-in customers are regular to Patara, a high-end Thai restaurant brand. Many of our customers are also regular to large chains such as Giggling Squid and Rosa. We therefore want to differentiate ourselves from Giggling Squid and Rosa. Among many strategies put in place, one is to become net zero as we noticed a strong environmental concern amongst our customers. Therefore:

• We try to replace plastic packaging with bio-degradable products. However, this type of packaging costs more than basic plastic containers and their ability to hold liquid is less efficient.
• We hope to launch a buy-back scheme for all plastic containers that we are currently using for takeaways.
• In the kitchen, we aim to be zero food waste. We are working to control portions and, in some cases, allow for free second servings to reduce food waste.
• When our electricity contract ends, we will switch to a green energy supply.
• Next year, we will launch a price promotion for takeaway customers who bring their own containers. In fact, we are studying the feasibility of launching a scheme where we loan containers to customers (see this link as an example).

Future Strategy:

We have two ideas on how to develop our business further. Each student is welcome to evaluate one of the ideas below.

Idea 1. To re-position Imm Thai Fusion restaurant and strengthen our brand image

We plan to focus on two issues to strengthen our brand image. Firstly, we will recruit more experienced chefs to refine our menu. Secondly, we want to achieve our net-zero objectives as outlined in ‘The Together for our Planet’ campaign from the UK government that encourages small businesses to cut their emissions to net-zero by 2050 or sooner.

To achieve this, we will work with individuals who are capable of delivering the re-position project for our company. We hope to gain a higher margin from the income stream generated from the restaurants.

We have the following questions about our Net Zero Project:

1. How can Imm Thai Fusion achieve net zero in ten years? In what ways can we address the issues of food packaging waste, lowering CO2 emissions in the food supply chain, and other changes in business activities? (800 words)

In your answer include:

• Identify what kind of business-level strategy it is (e.g., differentiation)
• Explain in detail how exactly their customer service is different from competitors
• Justify why you suggest this strategy using SAF (suitability, acceptability, and feasibility) framework
• Include an analysis of external environment which includes PESTEL framework
• Include M porters 5 forces