Botak Jones

Last updated

Botak Jones
IndustryFood and beverage
Founded Tuas, Singapore (2003 (2003))
FounderBernard Allen Utchenik
Headquarters
Singapore
ProductsAmerican cuisine
Website originalbotakjones.com

Botak Jones is a national chain of American food restaurants in Singapore. The company was founded in 2003 by Bernard "Bernie" Allen Utchenik, following a few failed tries at the food industry.

Contents

History

The business began in 2003, when former U.S. citizen Bernard "Bernie" Allen Utchenik, also known as "Botak", [1] established the first Botak Jones outlet in Tuas, Singapore, after two failed food ventures. [2] At least a year before the opening of the business, Utchenik was already running large advertisements for Botak Jones in the newspapers. [3]

In 2009, there were eleven Botak Jones locations islandwide in Singapore. [1] In March 2013, Botak Jones was listed as one of the five best "western food stalls" by CEOs' Hawker Choices. [4] Utchenik sold the business prior to mid-2013, when he opened a new restaurant, BJ's American Diner and Grill. [5]

Products

Botak Jones' menu predominantly comprises American cuisine. Select outlets serve only halal food, so as to cater to Muslim consumers. [2] All of Botak Jones' food products are claimed to be free of "chemical flavourings, tenderizers, binders and MSG". [2] Food items are served in relatively large portions, although "Mini-Me" portions are available for order. [6] Botak Jones also offers catering services. [7] In 2009, the company organised an eating contest, where one had to wolf down a "Botak Massive" in the fastest time possible. Winning prizes included a holiday trip overseas. [8]

Botak Jones has also introduced a "Botak Customer Appreciation Card" scheme, by which customers get certain discounts after accumulating a certain amount of food purchases in cash. [9]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fast food</span> Food prepared and served in a small amount of time

Fast food is a type of mass-produced food designed for commercial resale, with a strong priority placed on speed of service. It is a commercial term, limited to food sold in a restaurant or store with frozen, preheated or precooked ingredients and served in packaging for take-out/takeaway. Fast food was created as a commercial strategy to accommodate large numbers of busy commuters, travelers and wage workers. In 2018, the fast food industry was worth an estimated $570 billion globally.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nasi lemak</span> Traditional Malay breakfast item

Nasi lemak is a dish originating in Malay cuisine that consists of fragrant rice cooked in coconut milk and pandan leaf. It is commonly found in Malaysia, where it is considered as the national dish. It is also a native dish in neighbouring areas with significant ethnic Malay populations such as Singapore and Southern Thailand. In Indonesia it can be found in several parts of Sumatra, especially the Malay regions of Riau, Riau Islands and Medan. It is considered an essential dish for a typical Malay-style breakfast. Nasi lemak is featured as a national dish in most of the country's tourism brochures and promotional materials.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">MacPherson, Singapore</span> Neighbourhood in MacPherson, Geylang, Singapore

MacPherson is a neighbourhood located within the district of Geylang in the Central Region of Singapore. Its location roughly corresponds to the identically titled subzone in the Geylang Planning Area and is approximately sandwiched between the neighbourhoods of Aljunied and Paya Lebar. MacPherson largely consists of various public housing estates centered on Circuit Road and an industrial area. The Pelton Canal runs through the neighbourhood, which separates a private housing estate off MacPherson Road, and the public housing estate along Circuit Road.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hawker centre</span> Open-air food courts

A hawker centre or cooked food centre is an open-air complex commonly found in Hong Kong, Malaysia and Singapore. They were built to provide a more sanitary alternative to mobile hawker carts and contain many stalls that sell different varieties of affordable meals. Dedicated tables and chairs are usually provided for diners.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Singaporean cuisine</span> Culinary traditions of Singapore

Singaporean cuisine is derived from several ethnic groups in Singapore and has developed through centuries of political, economic, and social changes in the cosmopolitan city-state.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sizzler</span> American restaurant chain

Sizzler USA Restaurants, Inc., doing business as Sizzler, is a United States-based restaurant chain with headquarters in Mission Viejo, California, with locations mainly in California, plus some in the nearby states of Washington, Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico, Idaho, Utah, Oregon and Puerto Rico. It is known for steak, seafood, and salad bar items.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Curry puff</span> Pastry with curry filling

A curry puff is a snack of Southeast Asian origin. It is a small pie consisting of curry with chicken and potatoes in a deep-fried or baked pastry shell. The consistency of the curry is quite thick to prevent it from oozing out of the snack. Pap or puff reflects the Fujian Chinese dialect 泡 ('pop'), which means 'bubble, blister, puffed'. It is a truly Southeast Asian snack as it has Indian, Chinese or Malay elements.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Newton Food Centre</span> Hawker centre in Newton, Singapore

Newton Food Centre (纽顿熟食中心) is a major hawker centre in Newton, Singapore. The food centre was promoted by the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) as a tourist attraction for sampling Singaporean cuisine. It was first opened in 1971 and it closed down in 2005 as the government wanted to revamp the food centre. The food centre then went through a major renovation before reopening on 1 July 2006.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jumbo Seafood</span> Singaporean restaurant chain

Jumbo Seafood is a Singaporean restaurant chain specialising in the seafood aspects of Singaporean cuisine and dishes, such as Chili crab. First opened in 1987 with an outlet at the East Coast Seafood Centre modeling and taking design elements similar to the non affiliated JUMBO Floating Restaurant Hong Kong, Jumbo Kingdom. It became a hit, it then opened an additional five outlets throughout the country including in the suburban areas of Serangoon Gardens as well as the Singapore Indoor Stadium. As of 2022, it has 5 outlets in Singapore.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kaya toast</span> Malaysian/Singaporean breakfast item

Kaya toast is a dish consisting of two slices of toast with butter and kaya, commonly served alongside coffee and soft-boiled eggs. In Singapore, the dish is commonly consumed for breakfast or as a late afternoon snack. It became integrated into coffeeshop culture, being widely available in eating establishments such as kopi tiams, hawker centres, food courts and café chains such as Ya Kun Kaya Toast, Killiney Kopitiam and Breadtalk's Toast Box.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Verge, Singapore</span> Defunct shopping mall in Singapore

The Verge, formerly Tekka Mall,, was the first and largest modern shopping mall at the Little India precinct in Singapore, being opened in 2003. The Verge had two buildings, the main building and Chill @ The Verge. It was located on the southern part of Little India, with the main building is located at the junction of Serangoon Road and Sungei Road and the Chill @ The Verge is located at the junction of Perak Road and Sungei Road. Both of the buildings were separated by Clive Street and the mall lies opposite of Tekka Centre across Serangoon Road. The complex was demolished in 2017 to make way for redevelopment after 14 years of operation, making it one of the youngest malls in Singapore to shut its doors.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Food court</span> Indoor plaza for self-serve dinner

A food court is generally an indoor plaza or common area within a facility that is contiguous with the counters of multiple food vendors and provides a common area for self-serve dinner. It can also be a public dining area in front of a cafe or diner.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Culture of Singapore</span> Culture of an area

The culture of Singapore has changed greatly over the millennia. Its contemporary modern culture consists of a combination of Asian and European cultures, mainly by Chinese descents, South Asian, East Asian and Eurasian influences. Singapore has been dubbed as a country where "East meets West", "Gateway to Asia" and a "Garden city".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kopi (drink)</span> South East Asian coffee drink

Kopi, also known as Nanyang coffee, is a traditional coffee beverage found in several Maritime Southeast Asian nations. Often brewed to be highly caffeinated in strength, it is commonly served with sugar and/or milk-based condiments. This drink originated from the British Malaya era, with Hainanese cultural roots. The name of the drink is derived from the Malay term for coffee. The term Nanyang, which means "South Sea" in Mandarin, refers to Maritime Southeast Asia. Kopi culture vocabulary is grounded in Hokkien dialect as a result of historical immigration to Maritime Southeast Asia from the Minnan region in the south-eastern part of Fujian Province in Southeastern Mainland China. The beverage is usually served in coffee shops, Hawker centres and kopitiams across the region.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Street food of Mumbai</span> Food sold by street vendors in Mumbai, India

Street food of Mumbai is the food sold by hawkers from portable market stalls in Mumbai. It is one of the characteristics of the city. The city is known for its distinctive street foods. Although street food is common all over India, street food in Mumbai is noted because people from all economic classes eat on the roadside almost round the clock and it is sometimes felt that the taste of street food is better than restaurants in the city. Many Mumbaikars like a small snack on the road in the evening. People of Mumbai cutting across barriers of class, religion, gender and ethnicity are passionate about street food. Street food vendors are credited by some for developing the city's food culture. Street food in Mumbai is relatively inexpensive as compared to restaurants and vendors tend to be clustered around crowded areas such as colleges and railway stations.

Mr Bean Group Limited is a Singapore-based retailer that specializes in soybean-based food and drink products. The company was founded in 1995 as a hawker stall that sold soy milk and soy beancurd, and has since expanded its product line and retail presence.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hainanese chicken rice</span> Southeast Asian rice and chicken dish

Hainanese chicken rice is a dish of poached chicken and seasoned rice, served with chilli sauce and usually with cucumber garnishes. It was created by immigrants from Hainan in southern China and adapted from the Hainanese dish Wenchang chicken.

A Noodle Story is a street food stall in the Amoy Street Food Centre in Singapore. The food stall was awarded the Michelin Bib Gourmand in 2017. A new outlet in the Guoco Tower was opened in 2021.

Armenian Street Char Kway Teow is a street food stall in Anchorvale Block 303 in Anchorvale, Singapore. The food stall was originally located at the corner of Armenian Street and Loke Yew Street, and later relocated along Anchorvale Link. Two more outlets were established in 2013 and 2014.

References

  1. 1 2 "Botak Jones to become a Singaporean". AsiaOne . 23 August 2009. Archived from the original on 16 December 2013. Retrieved 18 August 2013.
  2. 1 2 3 Koh, Natalie (7 March 2013). "Flavourful Cajun chicken at Botak Jones". AsiaOne . Archived from the original on 10 March 2013. Retrieved 18 August 2013.
  3. "Botak that grew and grew". The Straits Times . 28 October 2007. pp. 64–.
  4. "Best western food stalls from CEOs' Hawker Choices". AsiaOne . 11 March 2013. Archived from the original on 19 August 2013.
  5. "Botak is now BJ's". Yahoo!. 9 August 2013.
  6. Yeoh, Wee Teck (19 August 2009). "Mini-Me". AsiaOne . Archived from the original on 24 October 2010. Retrieved 19 August 2013.
  7. "Catering". Botak Jones. Archived from the original on 6 April 2013. Retrieved 18 August 2013.
  8. "Botak Jones Massive burger eating contest". AsiaOne . 19 June 2009. Archived from the original on 18 August 2013.
  9. "Membership". Botak Jones. Archived from the original on 1 September 2013. Retrieved 19 August 2013.