Upon entering its Cheras outlet, we find co-owner Edmund fixing the lights and he tells us that “you have to do everything!”. We can’t agree enough when it comes to food business where many simply put in money but not time and effort. It is certainly not the case with Edmund and Shiew Li as they already have 8 outlets in just 2 and 1/2 years.
From churning gelato at the back of their first store in Bangsar; they have since invested in a centralised kitchen to enable higher volume of production and maintain consistent product quality in all its shops. Right from the start, they bought premium gelato making machines because they saw the importance of having minimal disruptions. As Edmund said; why would you pay for something that only lasts a while when we are in this for the long haul?. On that note, an expensive machine does not guarantee perfect Italianstyle gelato. Discovering that Malaysian temperature was too warm, the gelato recipe was tweaked to ensure that it does not melt instantly when taken outdoors.
Why operate shoplots when they can place the product in existing cafes thereby easing their costs? They explained that gelato risk being compromised at the retailers and if that happens; the supplier stands to be blamed and it was something they wanted to avoid. On top of that, Edmund and Shiew Li wanted the experience of owning something after leaving the corporate life hence Inside Scoop.
Many brands tend to maintain its look across all outlets for branding’s sake but Edmund says “being different” is their brand voice. Each outlet has its unique theme but one thing’s for sure; the service experience does not change. This is especially important as Edmund says that F&B is a very “people-dependent” industry; a key lesson they picked up from waiting tables as students in Australia . Inside Scoop employs mostly college students as their energy complements the vibe of its store. Plus, who would not want a happy job?
An often asked question is the differences between gelato and regular ice-cream; particularly on the price point. However, people have been willing to pay up to RM 10 for coffee since years ago and the mindset for dessert is similar. And when customers learn about Inside Scoop’s quality policy that all ingredients in its gelato are fresh and nothing is kept more than a week, they are generally positive. The founders are very keen on local ingredients by experimenting with durian and cempedak fruits as well as using local coffee beans. And they won’t sell what they don’t eat although it might be trendy. We asked about the current salted egg yolk flavour craze. While they do have a salted egg yolk waffle, this flavour did not make it to the gelato list simply because Edmund did not like it.
With its different scene in each outlet and a good balance of safe and unconventional flavours, you’ll definitely feel you hit a gelato jackpot at Inside Scoop!
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