Fairwood (restaurant)
Encyclopedia
Fairwood is a fast food chain offering Chinese and Western food at affordable prices. Founded in December 1972 in the Tsuen Wan
district of Hong Kong
, its current headquarters are located in North Point
. Since that time, the company has grown to 98 outlets all over Hong Kong
(94 fast food, 2 cafes and 2 specialty restaurants) and 13 locations in Mainland China
including major cities such as Shenzhen
, Guangzhou
and Beijing
. Behind Café de Coral
, Fairwood is the second largest fast food chain in Hong Kong
and serves over 100,000 customers each day.
Fairwood operates three main businesses including its core fast food business, an institutional catering business primarily designed for school lunches, and a third business that operates specialty restaurants including Buddy Cafe, Cafe Porto and Cafe Oasis.
. It opened its second restaurant in 1977 in Fuk Wing Street, Sham Shui Po
. By September 1991 when Fairwood made its initial public offering, it had expanded to 52 locations and operated its own facility for processing food in an effort to lower costs and maintain consistency.
, baked pork chop
with rice
, curry
beef
brisket
and twists on Western dishes such as fried egg
s with luncheon meat, spaghetti bolognaise and baked macaroni
with ham
. Soups such as Russia
n borscht
are also served. On occasion, more seasonal dishes will be served. For example, hot pot
and clay pot dishes are served in the winter, when they are typically consumed.
. A typical dish costs between $25–$40 HKD.
. Most dishes are prepared to order, and the customer will pick them up when they are ready. Seating is first-come first-serve.
and as a result, Fairwood conducted research and subsequently rebranded itself. It contracted graphics designer Alan Chan to design its new logo, that of a "jumping man" which is made to resemble the Chinese character for "big" (大). Overnight, Fairwood changed all the signs on its stores.
. The new store concept, designed by Steve Leung and Yasumichi Morita featured shades of orange, vinyl material, and an overall vibrant look that was intended to increase the restaurant's appeal.
and to 30 in Mainland China
by 2010. This expansion will be accompanied by a marketing campaign featuring celebrities in order to attract a more youthful crowd. In addition, Fairwood will expand its menu in its Mainland outlets to better cater to local tastes.
In 2008, Fairwood opened its first Beijing franchise restaurant at Joy City（西单悦城）located in Xidan.
Tsuen Wan
Tsuen Wan is a bay in the Kowloon area of Hong Kong, opposite to Tsing Yi Island across Rambler Channel. The market town of Tsuen Wan emerged for the surrounding villages and fleets of fishing boats in the area. The town is around the present-day Tsuen Wan Station of the MTR...
district of Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
, its current headquarters are located in North Point
North Point
North Point is a mixed-use urban area in the Eastern District of Hong Kong. It is the northernmost point of Hong Kong Island, adjacent to both Causeway Bay and Quarry Bay, and projecting toward Kowloon Bay. Fortress Hill occupies the western end of the North Point area.-History:In 1899, The...
. Since that time, the company has grown to 98 outlets all over Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
(94 fast food, 2 cafes and 2 specialty restaurants) and 13 locations in Mainland China
Mainland China
Mainland China, the Chinese mainland or simply the mainland, is a geopolitical term that refers to the area under the jurisdiction of the People's Republic of China . According to the Taipei-based Mainland Affairs Council, the term excludes the PRC Special Administrative Regions of Hong Kong and...
including major cities such as Shenzhen
Shenzhen
Shenzhen is a major city in the south of Southern China's Guangdong Province, situated immediately north of Hong Kong. The area became China's first—and one of the most successful—Special Economic Zones...
, Guangzhou
Guangzhou
Guangzhou , known historically as Canton or Kwangchow, is the capital and largest city of the Guangdong province in the People's Republic of China. Located in southern China on the Pearl River, about north-northwest of Hong Kong, Guangzhou is a key national transportation hub and trading port...
and Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
. Behind Café de Coral
Café de Coral
Café de Coral is a fast food restaurant group which owns and operates fast food chains and restaurants including Café de Coral, The Spaghetti House, Manchu Wok, Oliver's Super Sandwiches, Ah Yee Leng Tong and others. Founded in 1968, the Café de Coral group opened its first Café de Coral...
, Fairwood is the second largest fast food chain in Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
and serves over 100,000 customers each day.
Fairwood operates three main businesses including its core fast food business, an institutional catering business primarily designed for school lunches, and a third business that operates specialty restaurants including Buddy Cafe, Cafe Porto and Cafe Oasis.
History
Fairwood opened its first restaurant in December 1972 in Chung On Street, Tsuen WanTsuen Wan
Tsuen Wan is a bay in the Kowloon area of Hong Kong, opposite to Tsing Yi Island across Rambler Channel. The market town of Tsuen Wan emerged for the surrounding villages and fleets of fishing boats in the area. The town is around the present-day Tsuen Wan Station of the MTR...
. It opened its second restaurant in 1977 in Fuk Wing Street, Sham Shui Po
Sham Shui Po
Sham Shui Po, or Shamshuipo, is an area of Sham Shui Po District, Hong Kong, situated in the northwestern part of the Kowloon Peninsula, north of Tai Kok Tsui, east of Cheung Sha Wan and south of Shek Kip Mei. Sham Shui Po is known for its street market for electronic devices.-History:Sham Shui Po...
. By September 1991 when Fairwood made its initial public offering, it had expanded to 52 locations and operated its own facility for processing food in an effort to lower costs and maintain consistency.
Menu
Fairwood serves a blend of Chinese, Japanese and Western cuisine. The menu changes throughout the day and is split into 4 meal times: Breakfast, Lunch, Afternoon Tea and Dinner. In addition, some items may sell out and be replaced by others. The entire menu is evaluated and rotated on a weekly basis. In all, Fairwood cycles around over 200 dishes.Dishes
Dishes themselves include staples such as Siu MeiSiu mei
Siu mei is the generic name, in Cantonese cuisine, given to meats roasted on spits over an open fire or a huge wood burning rotisserie oven. It creates a unique, deep barbecue flavor that is usually enhanced by a flavorful sauce . Shops selling these meats are commonly found in Chinese-speaking...
, baked pork chop
Pork chop
A pork chop is a cut of pork cut perpendicularly to the spine of the pig and usually containing a rib or part of a vertebra, served as an individual portion.-Variations:...
with rice
Rice
Rice is the seed of the monocot plants Oryza sativa or Oryza glaberrima . As a cereal grain, it is the most important staple food for a large part of the world's human population, especially in East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, the Middle East, and the West Indies...
, curry
Curry
Curry is a generic description used throughout Western culture to describe a variety of dishes from Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Sri Lankan, Thai or other Southeast Asian cuisines...
beef
Beef
Beef is the culinary name for meat from bovines, especially domestic cattle. Beef can be harvested from cows, bulls, heifers or steers. It is one of the principal meats used in the cuisine of the Middle East , Australia, Argentina, Brazil, Europe and the United States, and is also important in...
brisket
Brisket
Brisket is a cut of meat from the breast or lower chest of beef or veal. The beef brisket is one of the eight beef primal cuts. The brisket muscles include the superficial and deep pectorals. As cattle do not have collar bones, these muscles support about 60% of the body weight of standing/moving...
and twists on Western dishes such as fried egg
Fried egg
A fried egg is a food made from an egg fried whole with minimal accompaniment. They are traditionally eaten for breakfast in western countries, but may be eaten at other times of the day.-China:...
s with luncheon meat, spaghetti bolognaise and baked macaroni
Macaroni
Macaroni is a variety of moderately extended, machine-made, dry pasta made with durum wheat. Macaroni noodles do not contain eggs, and are normally cut in short, hollow shapes; however, the term refers not to the shape of the pasta, but to the kind of dough from which the noodle is made...
with ham
Ham
Ham is a cut of meat from the thigh of the hind leg of certain animals, especiallypigs. Nearly all hams sold today are fully cooked or cured.-Etymology:...
. Soups such as Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n borscht
Borscht
Borscht is a soup of Ukrainian origin that is popular in many Eastern and Central European countries. In most of these countries, it is made with beetroot as the main ingredient, giving it a deep reddish-purple color...
are also served. On occasion, more seasonal dishes will be served. For example, hot pot
Hot pot
Hot pot , less commonly Chinese fondue or steamboat, refers to several East Asian varieties of stew, consisting of a simmering metal pot of stock at the center of the dining table. While the hot pot is kept simmering, ingredients are placed into the pot and are cooked at the table...
and clay pot dishes are served in the winter, when they are typically consumed.
- Sample dishes:
- Baked pork chop over rice
- Curry beef brisket
- Spaghetti Bolognese
- Baked macaroni with ham
- Char siu over rice
- Soy sauce
Soy sauceSoy sauce is a condiment produced by fermenting soybeans with Aspergillus oryzae or Aspergillus sojae molds, along with water and salt...
chickenChickenThe chicken is a domesticated fowl, a subspecies of the Red Junglefowl. As one of the most common and widespread domestic animals, and with a population of more than 24 billion in 2003, there are more chickens in the world than any other species of bird...
over rice- Roast duck
DuckDuck is the common name for a large number of species in the Anatidae family of birds, which also includes swans and geese. The ducks are divided among several subfamilies in the Anatidae family; they do not represent a monophyletic group but a form taxon, since swans and geese are not considered...
over Rice- Borscht
BorschtBorscht is a soup of Ukrainian origin that is popular in many Eastern and Central European countries. In most of these countries, it is made with beetroot as the main ingredient, giving it a deep reddish-purple color...- Milk tea
Milk teaMilk tea may refer to* Tea with the addition of a small amount of milk*Bubble tea, one of famous categories of bubble teas is "pearl milk tea"...
Pricing
Pricing of food is inexpensive and in line with what one would pay at comparable fast food restaurants such as Cafe de CoralCafé de Coral
Café de Coral is a fast food restaurant group which owns and operates fast food chains and restaurants including Café de Coral, The Spaghetti House, Manchu Wok, Oliver's Super Sandwiches, Ah Yee Leng Tong and others. Founded in 1968, the Café de Coral group opened its first Café de Coral...
. A typical dish costs between $25–$40 HKD.
Service and preparation
As is customary in most HK-style fast food restaurants and fast casual restaurants, customers view the menu on the wall and order at the counter. Customers can pay using traditional methods or Octopus CardOctopus card
The Octopus card is a rechargeable contactless stored value smart card used to transfer electronic payments in online or offline systems in Hong Kong...
. Most dishes are prepared to order, and the customer will pick them up when they are ready. Seating is first-come first-serve.
Rebranding
Fairwood originally adopted a green color scheme in its first stores and used a happy clown on its logo. Its name literally means "big happiness."New logo
The SARS outbreak in 2003 had a negative impact on the fast food industry in Hong KongHong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
and as a result, Fairwood conducted research and subsequently rebranded itself. It contracted graphics designer Alan Chan to design its new logo, that of a "jumping man" which is made to resemble the Chinese character for "big" (大). Overnight, Fairwood changed all the signs on its stores.
New store concept
The next day, it launched its new flagship store in Causeway BayCauseway Bay
Causeway Bay is a heavily built-up area of Hong Kong, People's Republic of China, located on the Hong Kong Island, and covering parts of Wan Chai and Eastern districts. The Chinese name is also romanized as Tung Lo Wan as in Tung Lo Wan Road...
. The new store concept, designed by Steve Leung and Yasumichi Morita featured shades of orange, vinyl material, and an overall vibrant look that was intended to increase the restaurant's appeal.
Other changes
In addition to a visual redesign, Fairwood reformulated and improved its signature dishes and released them under the "Ah Wood" brand. These dishes included such favorites as curry beef brisket and baked pork chop over rice. Fairwood also banned smoking in all of its restaurants, a first for any fast food chain in Hong Kong at the time. It wouldn't be until January 1, 2007 for Hong Kong to institute a public smoking ban.Expansion
On March 2007, Fairwood announced its plans to increase its restaurant count to 100 in Hong KongHong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
and to 30 in Mainland China
Mainland China
Mainland China, the Chinese mainland or simply the mainland, is a geopolitical term that refers to the area under the jurisdiction of the People's Republic of China . According to the Taipei-based Mainland Affairs Council, the term excludes the PRC Special Administrative Regions of Hong Kong and...
by 2010. This expansion will be accompanied by a marketing campaign featuring celebrities in order to attract a more youthful crowd. In addition, Fairwood will expand its menu in its Mainland outlets to better cater to local tastes.
In 2008, Fairwood opened its first Beijing franchise restaurant at Joy City（西单悦城）located in Xidan.
Appointment of Chan Chee Shing as CEO
On December 31, 2008, Fairwood announced that Chan Chee Shing would replace Dennis Lo as CEO of Fairwood Holdings, with Mr. Lo retaining his position as Chairman.See also
- Cuisine of Hong KongCuisine of Hong KongHong Kong cuisine is influenced by Cantonese cuisine and parts of non-Cantonese-speaking China , Western world, Japan, and Southeast Asia, due to Hong Kong's past as a British colony and long history of being an international city of commerce...
- Café de CoralCafé de CoralCafé de Coral is a fast food restaurant group which owns and operates fast food chains and restaurants including Café de Coral, The Spaghetti House, Manchu Wok, Oliver's Super Sandwiches, Ah Yee Leng Tong and others. Founded in 1968, the Café de Coral group opened its first Café de Coral...
- Maxim's MXMaxim's CateringMaxim's is Hong Kong's largest food & beverage corporation and restaurant chain. Founded in 1956 by Dr James Tak Wu and his brother S.T...
- YoshinoyaYoshinoyaYoshinoya is the largest chain of beef bowl restaurants and one of the Japanese chains of fast food, which was established in Japan in 1899. Its motto is "Tasty, low-priced, and quick"...