THE much-hyped DarSa Fried Chicken (DFC) which began operations a mere year ago, has closed its doors of its Bandar Seri Putra outlet.
Chinese language Oriental Daily reported that the outlet in Bangi appears to have ceased operations with chain and padlock on the entrance alongside a ‘for sale/rental’ sign.
When contacted, the franchise operator which also have outlets in Bukit Beruntung, Alor Setar and Eco Grandeur (Puncak Alam) said it was moving premises. No further information was forthcoming.
Recall that DFC was heralded as a “100% Bumiputera-owned” enterprise, capitalising on the Zionist boycott of fast-food chains seen as friendly to the Tel Aviv regime. However, a massive public relations fiasco seems to have sealed its fate, at least for one outlet.
The controversy began when a social media user commented on DFC’s Facebook page questioning their prices compared to other chains like KFC. An employee managing the page responded inappropriately, using the term “Type C” in a way perceived as a racial slur.
DFC eventually issued an apology, attributing the remark to an “unintentional mistake” by an inexperienced administrator working under pressure.
The company’s CEO Mohammed Faiz Zuhdi held a media conference to deny racism claims while revealing that the staff member had been transferred to another department instead of being fired.
The incident prompted the Selangor ruler Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah to recently express his disapproval on the use of “Type C” or “Type M” (referring to Malays) which he deemed as “profoundly racist terms” which have no place in a multi-racial country like Malaysia.
It would appear that the enterprise wasn’t able to recover from the fallout of that episode with news of its closure of the Bangi outlet being greeted with no small amount of schadenfreude.
On Anwar Ibrahim Fans’ Facebook page, the news was announced with a sarcastic poser: ‘Why did the walaun (hardcore PAS supporters) boycott DFC causing it to incur losses and went bust?”
Many commenters felt that any businesses that relied on racial sentiments to survive simply would not prosper.
One opined that entrepreneurs of halal businesses cannot be too selective or behave in a racist manner towards their customers.
Many observers also pointed to the harsh economic realities whereby it was a risky move to politicise one’s business “by riding on race and religion” to elevate the business prospect yet charges a bomb for the product sold.
However, one commenter felt that race, religion or political affiliations had nothing to do with the success of an eatery. If the food tasted nice and the service good, customers would support the enterprise regardless of its “religious, ethnic, national or political background”.
In this regard, he highlighted the major shortcomings among Malay entrepreneurs were in the areas of “promotions, product development and R&D (research and development)”.
He further pointed out that Malay entrepreneurs needed to do their bit to entice customers and not expect patrons to support blindly on racial grounds.
The caustic Coverage Media also had more than a few choice words to say about the closure of an outlet it deemed racist to the bone (pun fully intended).
Comparing it to the success of KK Mart that knuckled down after the sock gate controversy and expanded abroad, the social commentary site proclaimed that DFC was bound to fail by exploiting racial sentiments.
“Businesses built on racism or divisive sentiments rarely endure—it’s what many call karma in action,” it said in a lengthy missive shared on its Facebook page.
“Starting a business with wrong intentions or a ‘racism flavour’ invites no berkat (blessing) – it erodes trust and sustainability.
“This proves you can’t sustain sales through religion or race labels alone. Instead, thrive on quality, taste and innovation for longevity. Businesses must remain neutral: avoid politics, racial issues or religious sentiments,” it concluded with a more than a touch of smugness.
Underlining that the merits of the business was the main determinant of its success, one commenter also claimed that the Chinese community “has never boycotted or avoided Muslim or Malay shops/businesses” but “buy based on the merits of the business”.
Some commenters also opined that those who supported the “Buy Malay First (BMF)” campaign “are only yelling in Facebook but don’t even spend money anywhere” while urban Malays “don’t give a shit about BMF”.
What the actual reasons are for DFC’s closure of its Bangi outlet remain open to conjecture. What is quite certain is that its demise is being celebrated as a lesson in meritocracy and that racism had no place in today’s ultra-competitive economy.
- focus malaysia
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