Jack's Place (restaurant)

Brief Introduction

Jack’s Place is a subsidiary group of JP Pepperdine, established in 1966 by Jack Hunt. Besides steaks, the restaurant offers grills, salads, seafood, pizza and pasta [1]. There are 16 outlets in Singapore and a central kitchen in 10 Defu Lane [2].

History [3]

Mr Say Lip Hai immigrated to Singapore from Hainan Island and first found work in the Sembawang Barracks, where he spent his time cooking and serving meals to British troops. He opened the Cola Restaurant and Bar in 1967 in Sembawang where he served both the public and British and Commonwealth troops.

In 1969, Mr Say was approached by a British couple, Mr and Mrs Jack Hunt, who were impressed by the quality of steak prepared and subsequently suggested they collaborate. As partners, Mr Jack Hunt and Mr Say Lip Hai opened a catering business operating out of Mr Jack Hunt’s pub in Killiney Road [4] , which eventually became Jack’s Place Steak House.

In 1972, Mr Hunt moved back to England and sold the business to Mr Say.

Noticing that Western-themed restaurants congregated in the town area, Mr Say decided to move into the suburban neighbourhoods. He obtained a location in Ang Mo Kio and named his new outlet Jack’s Garden [5].

In 2008, the company went through a re-branding and the restaurants now fall under the new umbrella company JP Pepperdine [6].

Inspiration behind the company

Jack’s Place is predominantly a Western-styled restaurant that targets the family demographic. It aims to serve hearty food in a homey ambience for great value, focusing on serving quality food [4].

Vision [7]

To be socially responsible, guest-oriented and innovative; and continually expanding International Food Services Group that looks after its stakeholders.

Mission [7]

Guest – To meet their expectations and provide consistent standards of the best value

Employee – To be an innovative, rewarding and quality-driven employee

Society – To be socially responsible with regards to the environment and health of the society

Investor – To ensure realistic annual returns with a strong cash flow

Business Partners – To expand correspondingly and achieve mutual benefit

Company Profile

Notable products/services

Jack’s Place is known best for its steaks and affordable prices [8]. The signature dish is the Jack’s Special Steak which is a centre-cut tenderloin topped with fresh asparagus and black mushroom sauce [1]. Other local favourites include the Sambal Steak which is a dish inspired by local culture while staying true to the origin of the steakhouse by fusing sambal chilli with the classic Western steak [9].

Reimagining Jack’s Place

Jack’s Place has made changes to the uniform and restaurant décor over the years. Female waitresses used to wear the traditional Malay Sarong Kebaya (Malay ethnic dress) as their outfits. In the 1990s, it was changed to the current outfit.

Table spreads were changed to match the green and white checkered design following the rebranding of Jack’s Place.

True to its pub origins, the restaurant design for Jack’s Place started out with dark colours and wood tones. The colour scheme later changed to blue and red checkers. The colours of the original Jack’s Place were changed to green and white after Mr Say bought over the company [4].

Setbacks

One of the setbacks faced by the company was the outbreak of Mad Cow Disease [10]. Business fell by as much as 25 percent, as Singaporeans avoided Jack’s Place and its primarily-bovine menu.

Branches in Singapore [11]

S/No	Location in Singapore	Opening year
1	Ang Mo Kio	1979
2	Bras Basah Complex	1980
3	Parkway Parade	1985
4	West Coast Recreation Centre	1987
5	Bukit Panjang Plaza	1998
6	Compass Point	2004
7	Great World City	2004
8	Century Square	2005
9	Anchorpoint	2007
10	United Square	2008
11	SAFRA Jurong Clubhouse	2009
12	NEX Serangoon	2010
13	Woodlands Civic Centre	2011
14	The Grandstand	2012
15	JEM	2013
16	Orangetee Building	2013
17	Paya Lebar Square	2014

Awards [5]

Year	Awards Received
2012	• Received Total Defence Awards [12] • Received Singapore SME1000 Company Award
2011	• Received double winner awards for: (i) Most Popular Brand Award (ii) Singapore Prestige Brand Award - Promising Brands • Received AsiaOne People’s Choice Award 2010 [13]
2007	• Awarded HACCP Certification • Received RAS Restaurant Award • Awarded People Developer Certification
2006	• Awarded Singapore Promising Brands
2005	• Awarded Singapore Promising Brands
2004	• Awarded Singapore Promising Brands • Received HPB Health Award – Bronze
2003	• Received Super Brands Award
2001	• Singapore SME 500/1000

Milestones [5]

Year	Milestone
2014	• The latest Jack's Place outlet opened in Paya Lebar Square on Christmas 2014. Its new design and concept will be adopted by the rest of the company's outlets over the next three years
2010	• Acquisition of Restaurant Hoshigaoka
2008	• Started Brewbaker’s Kitchen & Bar
2006	• Started new branding, Eatzi Gourmet
2003	• Opened first Jack’s Place outlet in 1 Utama, Malaysia • Started new branding, Seafood Harvest
1993	• Started catering services
1991	• HQ at Defu Lane was built
1979	• Opened new outlet at Ang Mo Kio (flagship outlet)
1967	• Opened first outlet at Cola • Took over Killiney Road
1966	• Jack’s Place founded at Killiney Road

Recent Projects

In collaboration with the Health Promotion Board, Jack’s Place participates in the Healthier Dining Programme. The first phase of HPB’s food strategy aims to increase the number of healthier eat-out meals consumed to 180 million meals per year by 2020 by partnering with 18 food service providers to offer 500-calorie meals across 700 outlets and stalls island-wide, Jack’s Place features healthier options throughout their menu.[14]