AFTER the administrator of DarSa Fried Chicken’s social media platform unwittingly gave the franchise plenty of negative publicity by using a racial slur in a post, the newly minted 100%-Bumiputera-owned business received a welcome boost with a positive review by a “Type C” foodie influencer.

For context, the brouhaha erupted when the admin purportedly used the term ‘Type C’ to refer to Malaysians of Chinese origin. The issue went viral with politicians, media outlets and - not forgetting - social media highlighting the issue, thus forcing DarSa to issue an apology.

For a change from the publicity of the last few days, DarSa was given a very positive review from foodie influencer known as Hungry Sam who claimed to have queued up for an hour to get his “chicken fix” from its only outlet at Bukit Beruntung in Rawang, Selangor.

His simple catch phrase of ‘good or not’ sums up his verdict and he gave DarSa the proverbial two thumbs up by justifying that the chicken portions were decent and the sides were tasty.

Pertinently, his review quite clearly stated DarSa was definitely a viable alternative to KFC which recently suspended operations of 108 outlets.

Hungry Joe’s review led one netizen to rally Malaysian consumers to buy local brands which shall further propel the economy or enable entrepreneurs to thrive in the business ventures.

Many applauded Hungry Sam for an honest and objective review focussing on the food itself while ignoring the external ‘noise’ surrounding DarSa which could cloud his judgment.

With more than a few saying that the only thing that matters is “quality”, not “types” or the race of the business proprietor or customers patronising the outlet.

Some were quick to remind DarSa and other Muslim-owned businesses to focus on the relevant issues such as quality control instead of making insulting remarks.

One netizen said with a hint of envy how Hungry Sam seems to absolutely enjoy his work and how lucky he is to be doing something he loves.

For curious minds, DarSa had since stated that it welcomes Malaysians of all backgrounds while further expressing hope that this will spur its business growth and eventually enable the start-up fast food chain to expand.

Truth of the matter is that it will require he custom of people from all backgrounds if it is to succeed in becoming a thriving home-grown fast-food chain.

Just like the nation itself, it cannot prosper if everyone is not pulling in the same direction or is being constantly divided by 3R (race, royalty and religion) sentimernts. The DarSa experiment will be the litmus test if that old adage holds water - united we stand, divided we fall.

One netizen summed it up by coining a new term - “Type A” to refer to “all races”. - May 10, 2024 

https://focusmalaysia.my/type-c-foodie-gives-thumbs-up-to-darsa-fried-chicken-reckons-can-give-kfc-a-run-for-its-money/