Don of a new day

(Front row) Uncle Don’s co-founder and director Don Daniel (middle) with (from left) Thanabalan, Santokh Singh, Soh and Seremban outlet co-owner Thomas Samuel.

MALAYSIAN football legends Datuk Soh Chin Aun and Datuk Shukor Salleh were among several ex-internationals who attended the opening of Negri Sembilan’s first Uncle Don’s outlet in Seremban 2.

They were joined by the likes of Datuk N. Thanabalan, Datuk Santokh Singh, Datuk Chen Wooi Hwa, P. Umaparam and several others at the opening of the local food and beverage chain’s 21st outlet in Malaysia.

Footballers from the sport’s golden era were invited to the event in appreciation of their services to the nation and for bringing glory to the country.

Guests invited to the outlet’s soft opening also took the opportunity to have photographs taken with the ex-internationals who were happy to oblige.

Uncle Don’s co-founder and chief executive officer Ian Ong said he was humbled by the opening of the Seremban outlet which started operations within days of the chain’s 19th and 20th branches in Kuala Lumpur and Ipoh respectively, despite the Covid-19 outbreak.

“All our outlets which reopened for business after the movement control order was lifted on June 10 have been profitable.

“I am excited with this performance given the difficult environment we had to operate in, ” he said at the opening.

Uncle Don’s is popular among patrons who get to choose from a wide range of affordably-priced fusion, Western, Portuguese and Nyonya cuisine.

Ong said opening new branches had not been easy because of the weak economic climate.

“My team had to burn the midnight oil to look at the challenges and implement many changes in the operations, human resource and deliverables without affecting service and quality of food.

“Focusing on efficiency and maximising the available potentials were key factors in helping the business resume while still being profitable, ” he said.

The chain, which also carries out charity work as part of its corporate social responsibility, is expected to open four more outlets — in Bandar Sunway, Kota Kemuning and Rawang, all in Selangor, and in Kuantan, Pahang by year’s end.

The first Uncle Don’s outlet was opened in SS2, Petaling Jaya in January 2016. It was the brainchild of Ong and his partner, Don Daniel Theseira, a chef of almost 40 years.

Together they coined the “Dine Like A Don Every day” tag line which promotes the brand’s spirit of affordable dining.

Since its opening, the chain has bagged several awards including one for best restaurant brand.