Hong Kong-born bubble waffle chain Mammy Pancake is banking on London’s sweet tooth and penchant for impulse buying to drive sales at its first international expansion outside Asia.
Donald Lai, managing director at Mammy Pancake UK, has said he expects “the right marketing” to get people through the door amidst closures across the UK’s accommodation and food service industry due to ballooning costs.
In a recent interview with QSR Media Lai said: “It’s case by case who survives and thrives in the UK market. The focus is that we maintain our authenticity and our heritage, and let the product speak for itself.”
Mammy Pancake was started in 2009 by a husband-and-wife team who quit their jobs, and now has more than 20 stores across Asia, in Hung Hom in Hong Kong.
Lai, who moved to the UK from Hong Kong with his family at a young age, felt something was missing in London’s street food scene; prompting him and business partner Brendan Ho to open Mammy Pancake’s first international franchise along Portobello Road in Notting Hill district.
The store is set to launch in June.
Donald said: “There wasn’t a UK equivalent for it. There is a real opportunity for us to bring an authentic and accessible Hong Kong street food brand to London. Given how successful the brand is in Asia, I knew it would be a winner in the UK.”
Lai said they plan to open 10 stores in the next three years.
Mammy Pancake, which has had six consecutive years of Michelin Street Food recognition in Hong Kong, has a menu split into three, the bubble waffle, checkered waffle, and drinks.
It offers more than 30 flavours of both the bubble and checkered waffles, including original, chocolate, matcha, coffee, matcha chocolate, chocolate hazelnut, and coffee chocolate. There are also savoury flavours such as triple cheese, pork floss seaweed, sweet corn seaweed, and more.
Lai said he would import 90% of the flavours from Hong Kong, leaving out items that couldn’t be obtained in the UK or wouldn’t be popular. Mammy Pancakes has started a social media poll to gather flavour ideas that would fill the remaining 10%.
The social media campaign also features quiz-style questions with small giveaways and fun facts about the company’s history and heritage to generate buzz.
