Leading Thai restaurant operator, Mango Tree Worldwide, has unveiled plans for a major expansion of its global footprint, with the planned opening of more than 50 new Thai restaurants in dynamic destinations all around the world.
The award-winning company recently celebrated the launch of Mango Tree Bistro Hakata in Fukuoka, which marked the company’s 45th Thai restaurant worldwide and its first Mango Tree Bistro outlet in Japan. It is now on track to reach 50 locations by the end of 2019, and is then aiming to double its portfolio to 100 locations by 2025.
Mango Tree offers a series of inventive Thai restaurant brands, ranging from the flagship full-service Mango Tree restaurants to the second tier Mango Tree Cafe and Mango Tree Bistro – trendy Thai gastro-bars that offer lively social dining. Much of the group’s expansion however, will be driven by its third tier brands, including Mango Tree Kitchen and Mango Tree Grab & Go, which focus on providing on-the-go dining in areas of high footfall, including transport hubs. This diversity also allows the company to expand into every market, from major mega-cities to emerging destinations.
Many of the convenient concepts will focus on single dish formats, such as Mango Tree Kitchen Gapao, which specialises in Pad Gapao (minced meat and Thai basil on rice, topped with a fried egg), Mango Tree Kitchen Khao Mun Gai, focusing on Thailand’s popular chicken and rice dish, and Mango Tree Pad Thai, which serves Thailand’s favourite noodle dish. Tailored to airports and railway stations, these takeaway outlets serve freshly cooked Thai cuisine, boxed for travellers on the move. Locations have already been launched at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport and Tokyo Station and five others throughout cities in Japan.
“Mango Tree is an ambassador of Thai cuisine around the world, so we are extremely optimistic about our prospects for growth. It is expected that over 40 million international travellers will visit Thailand this year, and most of them will return with an appetite for the country’s famous cuisine. This creates exceptional opportunities to cater for guests with authentic dishes that taste the same as they do in Thailand,” said Trevor MacKenzie, Mango Tree’s Global Managing Director.
“For many diners, Thai cuisine is no longer a luxury; it is an everyday treat that can be integrated into their daily lives. Fresh, light and aromatic, it is also healthier than many traditional fast food options. This makes it ideally suited to busy office workers and commuters. We look forward to introducing our industry-leading brands to all diners, wherever they choose to travel,” he added.
According to the International Air Transport Association (IATA), a staggering 8.2 billion annual passengers will travel by air in 2035, 86 percent more than in 2018, with Asia Pacific the fastest-growing region. Regional rail transport is also rising fast, especially with the launch of new high-speed trains in many Asian countries. As such, concepts like Mango Tree Kitchen and Mango Tree Grab and Go will deliver convenient and delicious Thai cuisine to all travellers all over the world. Mango Tree has already caught the eye of international travel hub specialists like HMSHost, Lagadere and SSP, who operate multiple outlets in key airports and travel hubs across Asia Pacific.
Mango Tree will also continue to raise the bar for high-end Thai dining in major cities. Mango Tree Guangzhou, which is located within the 530-metre-high Guangzhou CTF Finance Centre, received the “Michelin Plate” award this year, and Mango Tree Mumbai was named as the city’s “Best Thai Restaurant” in the Times Food and Nightlife Awards 2019. China and India remain key target markets for the group, along with the Philippines and Japan. The company will also target major transport hubs in Europe, and is in talks to expand in the Middle East, including the UAE and Saudi Arabia.
Mango Tree is recognised by the Thai government’s Department of International Trade & Promotion (DIPT) Thai Select Program. To ensure the high standard of its dishes, Mango Tree runs annual trips to Thailand for its global team of chefs, enabling them to meet local producers and discover the roots of Thai cuisine. Most recently, the group visited the provinces of Surat Thani and Nakorn Si Thammarat, ahead of the launch of its new southern Thai menus.
Mango Tree currently operates in 14 countries, which makes it the world’s biggest exporter of Thai culinary experiences. With such widespread expansion planned in the coming months and years, this forward-thinking company will introduce even more diners to the exquisite flavours and fragrances of Thai cuisine in future.
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