Over 2-decade old Kwan Inn Vegetarian merges with Jus Delish Group

It will no longer focus on traditional vegetarian dishes.

Kwan Inn has been around since the 1990s and has earned itself a reputation for serving authentic, traditional, quality vegetarian cuisine with a large group of loyal followings. However, times have changed and to better position itself against the large influx of competitors in the local vegetarian food scene, some forms of rebranding exercise and streamline of operations, including the merging with Jus Delish Group, were deemed necessary.

Jus Delish Group has entered into a definitive capital injection exercise with Kwan Inn Vegetarian on July 1. Moving forward, Kwan Inn Vegetarian will be one of the brands under Jus Delish Group.

Jus Delish Group, under the management of a budding entrepreneur Ralph Liow, has taken over the managing rights with the original founder, Madam Choo Eng Hong. Madam Choo, who is now in her sixties, will serve as a brand ambassador under the new unified entity.

Kwan Inn Vegetarian is known for its Vegetarian Laksa and Vegetarian Chicken Rice. From its humble beginnings with just a flagship Geylang food stall, Kwan Inn Vegetarian now has a total of six food stalls and one restaurant outlet at Tanjong Katong.
With over 100 dishes to choose from, the restaurant concept bore fruit in December 2015. It features a laid-back setup that matches the breezy vibe in this eastern part of Singapore, with a cozy and contemporary ambience that can accommodate up to 80 guests. It also has a private function room that can house up to 12 people. The menu includes Veg Suckling Pig, Specialty Veg Goose, Minced Beancurd with Special Sauce, Signature Fried Beancurd, Indonesia Veg Fish/Prawn and many more. Rounding off the meal is a selection of hand crafted desserts like Almond Tofu or Yam Paste with Ginko Nuts.
The merger was initiated to the interest of both parties.

On Kwan Inn Vegetarian’s end, Madam Choo said that their chefs are looking for a managing partner who can actually preserve the heritage and help bring the Kwan Inn Vegetarian brand to even greater heights.

“Our chefs, who have been with us for a long time, are creative and like to come up with new innovative vegetarian offerings but we lack the know-how and channels to effectively bring across to the Public that the Kwan Inn Vegetarian’s gearing has changed,” she said.

Jus Delish Group meanwhile recognised the rising trend of eating healthy and has decided to venture into this specialised field, either from scratch or working towards incorporating an established vegetarian food brand into the group.

“Jus Delish Group is looking to foray into Vegetarian Food to complement their current restaurant offerings. Our offerings prior to the merger are primarily catered for meat lovers,” said Ralph.

Madam Choo was introduced to Ralph, through her personal contacts. From their engagement, Madam Choo found Ralph to be someone who is ‘very passionate’ about food, being a chef himself, and is ‘extremely knowledgeable’ about the operations and management of an F&B business.

Ralph has over 20 years of experience in the F&B industry. He has been involved in the setting up of now many household brands or restaurants and seeing to the successful implementation of numerous innovative food concepts in Singapore. A chef by training, he came up with the recipes for all the menu offerings for the different brands under the group. It has two brand names under the group – Gin Khao and Som Tam.

Gin Khao offers more staple authentic Thai Food and a casual dining environment. It currently has 3 outlets. The flagship outlet is located at East Coast Parkway. The others are located in Quayside Isle @ Sentosa Cove and One Raffles Place. Som Tam is a Thai Fusion restaurant located at Orchard Central offering fusion offerings with Western, Japanese and Chinese cuisine adaptations.