Restaurant/CRG

Editorial staff

Central Restaurants Group Co (CRG) plans to allocate 1.2 billion baht to expand its food business this year.

Nath Vongphanich, CRG’s president, said that the company sets to grow its sales by 13% to 17.9 billion baht this year via 4 key strategies.
For “Grow” strategy, it plans to expand business by building on existing operations and expanding profitable brand branches such as "KFC," "Mister Donut," "Auntie Anne's," "Ootoya," "Katsuya," "Somtam Nua," "Salad Factory," "Shinkanzen Sushi," “Nak-La Mookata”, while focusing on branding and continuous product development through the "Delicious Lab" team, which includes chefs with over 20 years of experience and young graduates in food science. This allows them to develop products that reach diverse customer groups, meets new lifestyle needs and consumption trends both in Thailand and abroad.

CRG will focus on managing costs and expenses most efficiently, maximizing investment benefits, and managing cash flow and investments for greater flexibility. More technology will be used to implement in restaurant to increase operational and service efficiency, such as self-ordering kiosks and service robots.

In addition, the company will strengthen its joint venture business, aiming to expand more than 25 branches and seeking potential growth brands to strengthen their portfolio. According to the company's plan, it aims to add 2-3 more brands of shabu and grilled food categories under the CRG Ecosystem. It also plans to grow sales of its existing same store by 4-5% this year.

All CRG’s business will gear toward sustainability through energy saving and renewable energy use, aiming to reduce energy consumption by 2%.

Mr Nath said that the company will spend 1.2 billion baht on business expansion this year. Of the total, 800 million baht will be used for opening 120-140 new potential brands such as KFC, Auntie’s Anne, Ootoya, and Shinkanzen Sushi, 200 million baht for renovating its existing restaurants and the remaining 200 million baht for IT and others.

"CRG is ready to leverage our experience and expertise to face new challenges,’’ he said.

Mr Nath said that the overall restaurant business in 2024 faced many challenges, including the entering of new restaurant brands increasing market competition, global economic volatility, and rapidly changing consumer behaviors.

“Despite these challenges, 2024 is a good year for CRG. Our sales grew by 9%, and recorded a turnover exceeding 15.8 billion baht. The huge growth was driven by launching two new brands which include Nama Japanese and seafood buffet and Katsu Midori Sushi in our portfolio, huge growth of delivery business, and open new 190 restaurants,’’ Mr Nath said.

The growth also comes from various strategies including Mister Donut’s launch of White Pon De Ring, renovating Thailand's first KFC branch at Central Ladprao, bringing back nostalgia amid modern kiosk ordering points.

It also creates a perfect blend of traditional and modern Japanese style at Katsuya flagship store at CentralWorld.

"We are committed to developing every brand in our group to be more than just restaurants, ready to deliver special experiences in every meal and every day,’’ he said.

Mr Nath added that the overall restaurant business market in 2025 is expected to grow by approximately 5-7%, reaching a total value of 572 billion baht.

“Many new restaurant brands will continue to enter the market, but their survival will depend on their strength and long-term management. It needs to prepare to face challenges in the food industry, including competition from new and international brands,’’ Mr Nath said.

He adds that there are some key trends to be introduced in 2025. They include the demand for premium products and for services, with customers willing to pay more for better quality, whether in ingredients or packaging.

Moreover, the lifecycle of brands will shorten as consumer behavior shifts—people are bored easily and ready to give new foods and services a try.

“Therefore, brands must adapt to all situations, stay current with trends, and develop effective communication strategies to reach target audiences on all platforms. Innovation and constant evolution are essential for brands to survive. Managing labor costs and rising raw material expenses will also be a key challenge,’’ Mr Nath said.

Kanop Sriavut, head of food innovation at CRG and leader of the delicious lab team, added that today’s consumers are heavily influenced by social media. Therefore, CRG needs to develop new products through market research, customer analysis, and data evaluation, working closely with the marketing team, partners, and suppliers to bring innovative products to life. The company therefore needs to focus on high-quality ingredients and aims to bring premium ingredients and imported flavors to a wider customer base at accessible prices.