Compared to most restaurants, Meatguy Steakhouse started in a slightly different way, when its founder, Dimas Ramadhan Pangestu, filmed himself experimenting with cooking steak at home. What started as a simple social media post is now one of the most recognisable brands in the meat industry. Dimas talked to us about his hobbies, his dreams and his challenges.
E: Why did you make a TikTok account about meat, and what was your initial goal?
A: At first, it wasn’t on purpose. My hobby is to cook, especially for my family. And since it was during the pandemic when everybody was stuck at home, I had the chance to elevate my cooking skills. I bought a big cut of beef and then dry aged it – which was the first time I had done anything like that. My wife recorded the whole process and posted it on TikTok. It turned out that the video went viral, a million views in a day! Since then, I became a meat content creator.
E: Did you ever think it would be as influential as it is now?
A: Honestly, I didn’t. I simply love to cook and enjoy good steak. I can do that every day. Before the TikTok fame, I did all those experiments just to please myself. The difference is, now I also cook for TikTok content because my followers expect me to post something new every day. They want me to do more – so I did. There are countless experiments, as well as many collaborations with celebrities, foodies, chefs, and other content creators. If this can be defined as influential, I think in one way or another, I have made steak more accessible to people.
E: What was the moment that made you decide to finally open the restaurant?
A: It has always been my dream to open my own restaurant, where I can create my own menu and run the operations myself. Since I’ve went deeper into the meat industry, I came to realise that the time was now. So, Meatguy Steakhouse was born.
E: Now that you’ve made your dream come true, what is the most challenging thing in managing a restaurant?
A: Challenges will always come, especially for me when I have never been in the restaurant business before. Managing people on the floor and in the kitchen is hard. Another thing that is tough is maintaining our quality. Because all of our beef is imported from Australia, Japan and the US, we need to be extra careful treating the product.
E: What’s the most memorable moment that’s happened to you since you got famous on TikTok?
A: Every time I come up with something new is always a good memory. Be it new research, a new recipe, new method or experiment. One day I discovered this rare type of beef from a village in Japan, with a flavour that is completely new to my palate. For me, those kinds of discoveries are very memorable.
E: How about since you opened the restaurant? What is the most memorable moment there?
A: It would have to be when I meet customers who have come a long way to be here. People from outside Java, such as Sumatra, Kalimantan. One time a guy flew in from Sulawesi and came straight to the restaurant from the airport, still carrying his luggage. He dined here, stayed the night in the city, then flew back on the first flight the next day. That’s just amazing to me.
E: What’s next for Dimsthemeatguy and Meatguy Steakhouse?
A: So far, for Dimsthemeatguy, we are preparing to explore overseas, with Spain and Brazil already in the pipeline. This March, we are going to Japan to explore the farms, and later this year to Australia to visit some ranchers who produce the beef that we use here in the restaurant. As for the steakhouse, hopefully we will open our second restaurant, this time in Jakarta. It will be bigger and more awesome. So, stay tuned!
Exquisite Taste Volume 39
Meatguy Steakhouse
Jalan Maleo JA1 No. 1, Bintaro
South Tangerang 15229, Indonesia
T: (+62) 2150102860
W: meatguy.id
