"Lord of the Fries" Mark Koronczyk on Prince, their bold new look and what sets them apart
In this interview we find out more about their celebrity following and their "year of growth" in this one on one with their founder Mark Koronczyk.
QSR Media : Lord of the Fries, tell us about it?
Mark: Lord of the Fries started life in 2004 as a mobile food van traveliing to music festivals serving up fresh hand cut fries. Our inspiration for the business came from observing how different cultures enjoy fries – for example French people like them with garlic mayo, Canadians with gravy and cheese. We wanted to offer fresh, locally sourced, quality produce for everyone so we worked on burgers, hot dogs and nuggets options for all preferences - vegan, vegetarian, halal, gluten free and kosher.
Now eight years on, LOTF has become a Melbourne icon with six stores in Victoria, cementing our niche as a unique, quality fast food offering.
QSR Media : You have stated that 2012 is the year of growth, 50% of the year has gone, what's been happening?
Mark: Across the business it certainly has been a year of growth so far, with all stores are preforming well, plus we’re about to hit a milestone 10,000 fans on Facebook.
We opened a new store in March on Brunswich Street, Fitzroy and this month we are opening another on the corner of Swanson Street and Flinders Lane in the city, one of the busiest corners in Melbourne. Its certainly been the biggest year for expansion in LOTF history.
We also picked up the Victoria and National award for the Best Vegetarian food from the I Love Food Awards this year and a 4 star certificate of excellence from Trip Advisor.
Prince himself sampled our food when he was in town recently so we must be doing something right!
QSR Media : What are some of your long term goals?
Mark: We’d love to expand in other states and overseas. Our fans are so passionate that they tell their friends from other states to try our food so we’ve built up a fanbase all over Australia who have LOTF every time they visit Melbourne and demand a store in their hometown regularly. We’d love to have LOTF in every state in Australia one day.
Generally our goals are to keep satisfying our customers - who are the lifeblood of LOTF- on a daily basis. We love coming up with new innovative quirky products such as our new “Chilli Poppers” (Breaded hot chillis stuffed with vegan cheese) and “Purple Rain Sauce” (inspired by Prince, beetroot mayo) to keep the menu fresh and exciting.
QSR Media : How would you describe your customer demographics?
Mark: Broadly speaking, its anyone who enjoys quick fresh convenient food with high quality ingredients! We have a really wide range of customers, everyone from families to tradies, but we’ve developed a core cult following of 18-25 year old urbanites with a love for quality home-grown food and passion for music and the environment.
We have also built up a following in the music scene due to our origins at festivals and the general love for music that the brand exudes. As well as Prince, we’ve had Justin Timberlake, local band Stonefield, Weird Al, Missy Higgins, Odisee and Public Enemy sample our menu and declaring themselves LOTF fans.
QSR Media : Your new "retro style" diner in Fitzroy, Melbourne, what is the reaction to this?
Mark: Our newest store on eclectic Brunswick Street is a real flagship for the brand. The reaction has been very positive, locals love it, especially the diner style décor that was designed by influential architects Russel and George who have also designed stores for Thurley and Crumpler.
QSR Media : How do you differentiate yourself in the marketplace?
Mark: We’re commited to providing fresh, high quality food, no matter what the cost, time and effort involved. Our fries are made of locally sourced, hand cut potatoes which are cooked twice with no trans fats. It’s expensive and time consuming to do this, but we never want to compromise on our commitment to spectacular fries.
For potential franchisees, LOTF is a proven successful option that has carved its own niche due to its strategic locations and innovative name and branding. The combination of quality products, an all-inclusive approach and staying true to our brand since the mobile festival van days has provided a stable and proven model.
