Tall Order For Bumi Owned Richiamo Coffee To Expect Malay Patronage If Its Product Quality Sucks

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WHY not support local businesses – or more specifically, “Buy Malay First”?
This seemed to be the query by nationalistic-slant current affairs site MYNEWSHUB (@mynewshub) on X.
Obviously non-plussed, the pro-Malay site bluntly asked why Malaysian Muslims are not supportive of home-grown, Bumiputera-owned brands such as Richiamo Coffee.
Pointing out that this franchise belongs to “our own people”, the poster was flabbergasted at Malays who are keener to support brands belonging to other ethnic groups.
Editor’s Note: Richiamo Coffee is a wholly-owned Bumputera enterprise which commenced its operations at Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM) in Sintok, Kedah on Sept 1, 2016.
Interestingly, the post by MYNEWSHUB has since generated 1M views with many commenters quick to give their two sen worth on what should determine patronage of a F&B (food & beverage) outlet.
One commenter quite rightly pointed out that the quality of the grub should be the priority to which Richiamo Coffee – unfortunately – has failed to live up to expectations.
This somehow angered the poster who chided the commenter for his honest opinion.

Unfortunately, the commenter seemed to be spot on as the comment section was swamped by plenty of less-than-complimentary reviews on Richiamo Coffee.

One commenter took the poster to task for asking Malays to support a business that offers sub-standard fare. When complaints arise, race and religion are used as a shield.

Another was annoyed by selling of microwave-heated meals with freshly cooked meal price tags.

It was also observed that while Chinese-owned businesses were busy trying to give their cafes Malay-sounding names, Bumiputera-owned cafes were going foreign. End result – the Chinese-owned cafes were the ones that did great business!

This rallying call to support a Bumiputera-owned enterprises also gained traction with other netizens who were keen to share their personal experiences.
One such poster was corporate citizen Jihah (@najjihuh) who recounted a less-than-pleasant experience involving lukewarm hot chocolate and cracked mugs.
She swore it would be the last time she stepped foot into Richiamo Coffee.

One commenter was of the opinion that it may be better to use a brand name denoting Malay ownership to ensure local support.

But once again, there seemed to be too many negative reviews, reflecting poorly on the brand.

Another hit the nail on the head when pointing out that Muslim-ownership was no guarantee of quality.

More negative feedback came from Sarawakian artist Adinda Gasolina (@TheVenusDarling) who was less than complimentary about a poorly prepared pasta dish which was over-priced to boot.

Again, food quality was the overriding concern, not whether Richiamo Coffee was Malay-owned.

When the reviews are this poor, no amount of shouting from rooftops about Malay ownership will make up for it.
Even the entirely objective AI application of X – @grok – agreed that quality of service and good food would build customer loyalty.
Other factors such as marketing, price point and alternative choices also play an important part. However, do note that the ethnicity of the owners is not mentioned as a pertinent factor.

Given the amount of negative publicity that the original post generated, it has not had the desired impact. Quite the opposite, in fact. 

- Focus Malaysia

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