Restaurateur and mother of two, Nabila Chalid, shifted from corporate work to establishing two restaurant brands spread across five outlets. She sits down with Exquisite Taste to share the story of her daily hustles and how she got started. By Runi Indrani
E: How did you get into the restaurant business?
A: Actually, I was working for eight years in a law firm’s finance and banking team. In 2020 however, I decided to develop Ask For Patty. I also started a catering business that we still have now. I made the call to focus on this restaurant business and never looked back.
E: Can you share the story of how you first started your own restaurant?
A: It was in the early stage of the pandemic in 2020 that we came up with the idea for Ask For Patty while in our home. We decided to establish a small stall in Menteng, before extending to the existing four outlets that we have right now. We created the formula ourselves, from the recipes for the bun and the patty, we also ground the meat ourselves. Now, with four outlets, we still use the same methods as what we did when we first started Ask For Patty.
E: Please tell us more about the restaurants.
A: Ask For Patty is a casual burger joint with one outlet in North Jakarta, one in Central Jakarta and two in South Jakarta, where anyone can visit without having to dress up. Meanwhile, Patty & Sons was an extension of Ask For Patty. What differentiates Patty & Sons from its predecessor is that we dry age our meat for about 30 days in our own dry age locker, and we use it for the patty. Patty & Sons also serves dishes other than burgers, such as steaks, pasta and more.
E: What is the biggest challenge you’ve come across, and how did you overcome it?
A: We cannot always impress everyone with the menu that we offer. We aim to create a good quality meal that is acceptable and affordable for everyone, however once in a while you will come across complaints about your products. Even so, we always make sure to maintain our freshness and to deliver our products to each outlet on time. There will always be new challenges every day, but we are ready to tackle those.
E: What is the most rewarding moment in your journey?
A: When I see guests smiling, or expressing their satisfaction with our dishes. I spend almost every day at one of the outlets, so I try to see the guests’ responses to our products. The most rewarding thing is if they’re happy with what we serve.
E: What is your typical day like?
A: I wake up early in the morning because I want to play with my children. Afterwards, I will go to one or more of the outlets or the central kitchen. My work usually lasts until the evening, then I come home and play some more with my kids before their bedtime. My working days are from Monday to the next Monday, no day off for me.
E: What is next for you?
A: There will be upcoming projects that I cannot share just yet. We definitely want to create more culinary concepts, and we’re not limiting ourselves to just one. Keep an eye out for more sometime this year and next year.
E: What advice would you offer to someone who wants to get into the F&B industry?
A: If you have an idea or a plan to create something, don’t wait. Just go for it. If you don’t get a move on, you will never get to do it – because that’s what happened with us. We had the idea to make a burger joint since 2017, but the idea was always there and we never fully executed it. In 2020, when we finally had the time to focus on it, we really went for it.
Patty & Sons
@pattyandsons
