From the photos on the above, pretty much displayed our first interactions with our first theme, which is fast food. Started as a purpose to raise money for our project, Bakudapan attempt to sell a fast food package, copying from McDonald’s package “PaNas”. We consider “PaNas” package as one of the popular menu from McDonald’s, it’s because the taste suit the Indonesian, which consists in one package rice, fried egg, fried chicken, and drinks. We sold the same package with some adjustment.
Package contents
Things we consider as the most essential is the fried chicken. We thought several options, started made from scratch, to bought it from local fast food restaurant franchise. In the end we agreed to bought it from local home industry, located in Kauman. Next content to accompany the fried chicken is fried egg. In the making of fried eggs, we tried to made it ad similar as the McDonald’s “PaNas” package, which have soft and moist texture. With the long trial and error, we finally made the exact texture as McDonald’s.
After all the package contents ready, we made the packaging neatly to attract the customer. We put the rice, fried chickens, fried eggs, and one package of tiny chilli sauce. We are not only serving food, with 15.000 Rupiah for one package, we also added one cup of cola. Through this fixed price and the package contents that we consider is great, we have high expectation that the customer will enjoy we offer.
Critics
From this sales, we want to gather money for our activities in Bakudapan. However, when the sales take place, critics arose from the customers, which made us using the sales process as a form of participatory observation in fast food customers. It is obvious, when the critics arose, at first we would denied it, but in the end we realised the good thing from critics they gave to us.
First critic – it might seems not a critic, but this the first interesting finding from one customer. This first customer, did not eat chickens and rice, so she only want to eat the eggs. She tried to bargain, she wants to bought three eggs, without drinks, rice, and chickens, with the same price, 15.000 Rupiah. She did not feel burdened with this price, even though she the different contents. In the future, fast food restaurants should consider the customers dietary, with serving few different packages for them.
Second critic – finally we can consider this second customer comments as a critics. We offered him our packages, but he only want to eat chickens, eggs, drinks, without rice. After we delivered it, the he finished it, we asked him to pay 15.000 Rupiah. However, what we got is this comment…
“Hey why is it expensive?! I don’t eat it with rice, it should be cheaper. You said that you are local, but you copying the big company, capitalist, both of you are the same”
From critics to questions
At first we feel a bit offended by critics from second customer, but eventually we feel lucky by this, because we get new question about the existence of local fast food in Jogja. From the first and second customer, we reflected with the condition when we went to the famous fast food chains, when we don’t want to buy several contents in some packages, and bought it separately, the price become more expensive in the end. It shows that there are customers who accepted the price regulation, but there are also who critics this system, because if we bought it separately, it should be more cheaper.
Is having the “local” label make the fast food chain in Jogja become different? In fact, fast food chains in Jogja apply similar system, when bought food separately, the price is still the same. Besides the price system on their products, does the local fast food chain adapt all the system from the international fast food chain? How was with their labour system, advertisement, and other elements that support their sales? After we did the first sales, we started questioning new things. This might not be the end of our sales activities, probably there are other questions will come up on our next sales.
*image illustration: pinterest.com