{"id":2090,"date":"2021-05-31T16:30:46","date_gmt":"2021-05-31T09:30:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bitesizebkk.co\/?p=2090"},"modified":"2021-05-31T17:00:31","modified_gmt":"2021-05-31T10:00:31","slug":"brand-spotlight-kinnest-group","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bitesizebkk.co\/brand-spotlight-kinnest-group\/","title":{"rendered":"Brand Spotlight: Kinnest Group"},"content":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s impossible to live in Bangkok and not have at least visited <\/span>The Commons<\/span><\/a> in Thonglor once or twice. It\u2019s where a lot of good Friday nights begin, and where friends meet to unwind on a Sunday afternoon. Let\u2019s be honest, it\u2019s the place to be any day of the week until recently, of course.<\/span><\/p>\n

Kinnest Group<\/span><\/a> is the company behind The Commons, and has since expanded into multiple brands and restaurants across the city, from Thonglor to Saladaeng to Bangna. Roast, Ocken and Roots Coffee have grown to be established, household names in their own right.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Varatt Vichit-Vadakan, co-founder of Kinnest Group<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

We sat down with <\/span>Varatt Vichit-Vadakan<\/span><\/a>, co-founder of the Kinnest Group to talk about everything from designing products during the pandemic, the vision for Thailand\u2019s F&B industry and his favorite lunch deliveries.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The Backstory<\/b><\/h2>\n

Varatt\u2019s journey began like many founders; having the vision and mission to create something they personally saw was lacking. The journey actually began back in 2011 with the first <\/span>Roast<\/span><\/i> location in Seen Space, Thonglor.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The Commons Thonglor itself launched in 2016 and was essentially Bangkok\u2019s first non-mainstream community, a curated strip with a twist.<\/span><\/p>\n

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The Commons Thonglor<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cWe didn\u2019t have the big chains like Starbucks or KFC, and banks weren\u2019t comfortable with that,\u201d says Varatt. \u201cWe ended up raising money from different sources instead to fund the project.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe initially approached a few architecture firms, and almost all of them turned us down,\u201d says Varatt. \u201cWe then met with the Bangkok based company <\/span>Department of Architecture <\/span><\/i>and they really understood our core values and vision, which was uncommon at the time. They ended up designing the Commons Thonglor as well as our Saladaeng branch.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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The Commons Saladaeng<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Varatt and his sister, co-founder <\/span>Vicharee Vichit-Vadakan<\/span><\/a> had the vision to not only build a fun, engaged community, but also serve as a place for elevated good food that doesn\u2019t have to be complicated or overpriced. They were also the first community space to house first time vendors and unique brands, from ice cream stalls to Vietnamese noodles and sought after burgers. Even Absolute You has opened up their notorious spinning and pilates studios there.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Safe to say, the gamble of not having another Starbucks in Thonglor paid off.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The Business<\/b><\/h2>\n

The Commons Thonglor became a landmark, and then came contemporary dining spot <\/span>Ocken<\/span><\/a> in 2018. It made the<\/span> Michelin Guide\u2019s Plate<\/span><\/a> criteria last year.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Ocken’s open kitchen<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Whilst Roast carved its niche as an all day brunch spot across various locations in the city, Ocken is more of a contemporary, smart casual dining with an Asian inspired twist. The dinner menu ranges from truffle Cavatelli to Korean fried cauliflower to a McDonald\u2019s inspired OcMuffin for brunch.<\/span><\/p>\n

There\u2019s also <\/span>Roots<\/span><\/a>, <\/span><\/i>the group\u2019s very own coffee brand that sources beans from different parts of Thailand, with four locations in Bangkok, all within the group\u2019s multiple projects. Roots not only sells iced lattes and whatnot, but also expanded to accommodate the WFH era with concentrated cold brew bags, drip bags for home and coffee capsules that work with your Nespresso machine.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Roots’ concentrated cold brew bag
(credit: Roots Instagram)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cWe are always trying to come up with products that we think suits our customers\u2019 lifestyles or needs, and we try to move quickly,\u201d says Varatt.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Within the umbrella of Roast and Ocken and whatnot, there are also many experiments, products and fun pop up style things to keep customers engaged during the pandemic. From bagels, to bakery treats to <\/span>cook it yourself <\/span><\/i>online shops like <\/span>Home Space Market <\/span><\/i>that came and went, the group is a true incubator of experiments.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNot everything succeeds, and not all projects were meant to last,\u201d says Varatt. \u201cFor example, Home Space Market didn\u2019t work out because our customers didn\u2019t want the hassle of boiling pasta and making meals from scratch. We learn as we go.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The Design<\/b><\/h2>\n

The importance of design is very much present across all Kinnest Group\u2019s brands and products. The packaging is stylized, Instagrammable and quirky. Across the group\u2019s multiple Instagram accounts, there\u2019s a shared tone of contemporary cool that you don\u2019t often see in local brands.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Monty’s<\/a> Instagram grid<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Even the smaller scale projects born out of the pandemic share the same sensibilities of being design centric. From photography to typography, Varatt places a lot of importance in building products.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\u201cTypically, the team brainstorms on what kind of product or brand we\u2019d like to introduce or create. Once we have established that, we brainstorm the look and feel, as well as the design of how we want our artwork and our packaging to be,\u201d says Varatt. \u201cThe great thing about our team is that we really do work closely together and everyone understands the brand essence..\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Pandemic Products<\/b><\/h2>\n

\u201cWe always seem to be one of the first ones hit by each wave,\u201d says Varatt. \u201cI remember we were probably the first place in central Bangkok to be hit the first time. \u201c<\/span><\/p>\n

A year on, the Kinnest Group co-founders and team have tested and trialed all kinds of pandemic practices.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe pandemic has sped up a lot of things for us, we always have to be quick on our feet,\u201d says Varatt. \u201cDecisions have to be made much quicker, and we are currently launching new things every other week.\u201d<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Kinnest Group has leveraged its central kitchen, team members and its vast ecosystem to launch a series of smaller products that are suitable for delivery and can complement WFH routines.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In the past month, they launched <\/span>Monty\u2019s<\/span><\/a>, a Montreal inspired sourdough bagel shop for delivery (we really recommend the breakfast bagel), <\/span>treats<\/span><\/a>, homemade bakery snacks in jars and <\/span>Good Eats Kitchen<\/span><\/a>, which hosts a series of brands under a centralized kitchen, including an organic somtum brand and a rice bowl concept.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Good Eats Kitchen
Credit: Good Eats Instagram<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cThe concept is that customers can try new things every week. Some of the things we launch today may not be around for long, but then we\u2019ll replace it with another food concept or snack,\u201d says Varatt. \u201cSo, people can always come back and be surprised.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

When restrictions are in place, each team has to collaborate and move quickly in terms of concept, brand and design. In a way, it can probably boost productivity but for a business that relies on physical interactions and socializing, we can imagine that Kinnest Group is looking forward to re-opening their doors.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe have decided to close Roast and Ocken until restrictions have been removed completely. For us, it doesn\u2019t make sense financially to re-open at 25% capacity and have groups seated separately,\u201d says Varatt.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

We ask about the current third wave in Bangkok and how that\u2019s impacted the business compared to the other two waves. This one, as many have also said, hits the hardest.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe government provides no help or financial support for our industry and employees. The current wave has really impacted the whole F&B industry, which employs so many people nationwide. It has also taught us to adapt because essentially, we\u2019re all left to our own devices,\u201d says Varatt.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe challenges in training team members for certain things has gotten more challenging, but in some areas of the business, things are actually moving very quickly because we are hyper aware and kind of in survival mode.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The future of F&B<\/b><\/h2>\n

From the launch of The Commons to now, a lot has shifted and changed within Bangkok\u2019s consumer landscape. The rise of fine dining, chef tables, quirky restaurants and a whole generation of social media centric consumers.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThere has been a big shift in the landscape for sure,\u201d says Varatt. \u201cConsumers are more worldly and they know the quality of things, because people have become very exposed to trends across the world.\u201d<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The landscape of chefs and brand owners have shifted as well.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNow, there are many local chefs who are elevating the simple things, like local Thai dishes and cuisines, which is great for the landscape.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The landscape of F&B will also change with the pandemic itself.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Roast, Commons Thonglor<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Much has been spoken of the post-pandemic future of businesses, retail, travel and restaurants. It seems to be the defining concept of the next few years. For Varatt, the post- Covid-19 future will definitely be different.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou can no longer stick to the old playbook and have everything centered around eating out. After restrictions are eased, there will be a lot of people who will return, but there will always be a demand for a mix of delivery, takeaway and experiences to be had at home. It\u2019s no longer a standardized rule,\u201d says Varatt.<\/span><\/p>\n

Brands and restaurants will have to stay current and adapt to trends. Going forward, it\u2019s likely going to be a blended mixture of omnichannel commerce and dining.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What\u2019s next?<\/b><\/h2>\n

\u201cWe hope to be around for years to come,\u201d says Varatt, \u201cand we are optimistic about the post pandemic future, once the majority of people are vaccinated.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Meanwhile, the Kinnest Group will leverage their multiple presence across social media and delivery platforms to keep customers engaged. Stay updated through Good Eats Kitchen for a consolidated list of in-house brands and promotions.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

As for Varatt\u2019s very own delivery recommendations? Here\u2019s the list below<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n