Rafael Marcos Soedarjo

Food & Beverage Business Development Manager at Cloud Lounge & Dining

: Describe your typical day in a sentence.

Rafael: Very dynamic and involving an on-site construction meeting or conference call to pitch a franchise, or I could be in my office writing a feasibility study or scouting for prospective candidates to join my operational team.

: So how did you come to be Business Development Manager for Cloud Lounge & Dining and other outlets in MRA’s F&B division?

R: I was project manager for MRA's new F&B outlets, and only handled the construction side of a project. MRA then wanted to focus on growing its F&B division so they decided to expand my role. My responsibilities have evolved into also managing the pre-operational aspects of our new outlets and exploring the opportunities to expand in Indonesia.

: What’s the toughest part of your job?

R: People are the most valuable asset in the business, so the toughest part would be finding the right people who can complement each other as a team to achieve a common vision.

: And what makes you smile at work?

R: Receiving positive customer feedback on overall dining experiences for all of our F&B outlets and seeing the outlets you helped create become major contributors to the bottom line of MRA Group.

: What motivates you?

R: Working on a new project because there will be new challenges and problems that we may not have seen before. By trying to solve these challenges we will eventually learn new things. Having a concrete goal to meet is also a great motivator for me as I'm a resultoriented person.

: Would things fall apart if you weren’t around?

R: No, I always brief my team and give them a heads-up on what's coming ahead. I think it's very important in a workplace to have some sort of continuing career-development plan for each position as this will keep the employee's morale and motivation at a high level.

: Who, in your team, deserves more recognition and why? R: I believe everyone who is involved in a project deserves equal recognition. Each one of them plays a part in the success of an outlet no matter the size of their role.

: Why should people come to any of MRA’s F&B outlets to dine?

R: An exceptional dining experience resolves around four things: the atmosphere, the product, the customer service and the value for money. I like to think that our outlets provide all of these key elements, which makes them worthy, enjoyable venues.

: Away from work, what’s your favourite place to eat?

R: Bornga and The Grill for grilled meats, Mie Alip and Soto Eling-Eling for street food, Taste Paradise for dim sum, lastly Tontoki and Nasi Campur Kenanga to satisfy my penchant for pork.

: How do you unwind?

R: Listening to and discovering old-school songs and hidden gems on YouTube and SoundCloud. I also enjoy binge-watching TV series, one of my favourites is The Wire, but currently I'm hooked on Narcos and Silicon Valley.

: Finally, any advice for those looking to break into the industry?

R: Be passionate, be hands-on and be prepared to dive into the details. The F&B industry takes a lot of hard work to make it. Concentrate on your product and customer service, not just on atmosphere.