THE opening of the first FUIYOH! It’s Uncle Roger outlet in Pavilion Bukit Bintang was met with a frenzy of fans and foodies making a mad rush to catch a glimpse of the famous restauranteur.
For the uninitiated. the restaurant is the brainchild of London-based comedian and internet sensation Nigel Ng.
His alter ego – Uncle Roger – is a typical Chinese Uncle who is highly opiniated about food and is deeply critical of the Westernisation of Asian dishes.
He hit internet gold when a clip of Uncle Roger criticising a BBC presenter’s attempt at cooking egg fried rice went viral in 2021.
The Malaysian-born comic’s fame has grown since then as his cooking tutorials and comedy clips begin to amass a following.
To date, Uncle Roger has 11 million followers on TikTok, 9.6 million subscribers on YouTube, 4.5 million followers on Instagram and four million followers on Facebook.
Backed by social media fame and an ability to make people chuckle, Ng has put the money where his mouth is by diving headlong into the food business. After all, he claims to have the necessary culinary know how.
Social media was again abuzz as news of another outlet is opening in Petaling Jaya. This is a sample of comments made on Ikano Power Centre’s Facebook page.
Quite a few netizens wondered if the pricing would be lower at new outlet compared to the ultra-swanky Pavilion in Bukit Bintang.
However, one netizen did wonder if the large crowds will fizzle out once the hype dies down, alluding to fast-food franchise Taco Bell which was not backed by an internet sensation.
One commenter hoped that Uncle Roger’s newly minted business will not suffer the same fate as other franchises that died off slowly once initial buzz and consumer curiosity fizzled out.
With another labelling this is as another fad.
Given Malaysians are a very price sensitive lot, it will be interesting to see if they will continue to pay the menu prices at FUIYOH! It’s Uncle Roger in the long run.
But for now, there are plenty who are eager to sample the self-proclaimed “best egg fried rice” by tagging their friends and making it a mission to visit the new outlet.
With news of a third outlet opening in Cheras soon, it will be interesting to see if Ng’s business venture is a success or will it wither away like so many before.
FocusM wishes Ng all the very best and is intrigued about the franchise’s ability to go the distance. – Oct 7, 2024
Main image credit: IPC Shopping Centre/Facebook
