For a great gourmet burger with the perfect blend of meat and fat to keep it flavourful, juicy and rich, look for Wolf Burger’s outlet at Changi City Point.

The homegrown burger chain stirred a lot of interest when it launched its limited edition “Burger for World Peace” to commemorate the Trump Kim Summit in June 2018 and has put the brand in the international spotlight.

We speak with Ho Song En, one of its co-founders, to find out more about their journey.

Q: What inspired the team behind Wolf Burger to start this business?

Before starting Wolf Burger, my friends and co-founders, Serene Chua, Sarah Lin and I made our first foray into the food business by opening an eatery specialising in roast meats at East Coast Road.

We took part in a burger competition some time in 2015 while running that business and surprisingly, our burger was named among the top three in Singapore. We thought, wouldn’t it be great if we could give everyone access to high quality dining experiences with our gourmet burgers?

That was how we decided to open Wolf Burgers.

Q: What made you decide on the name “Wolf Burgers”?

We had a difficult time coming up with a name for our business! Ultimately, we decided that our burgers were for sociable, intelligent consumers with powerful instincts for great experiences and good food. The Wolf embodies that for us. I also think that as one of the founding members of the Wolf Burgers, the lupine pack mentality is reflected in our business.

Q: What are some of the challenges the team has faced so far?

The challenge in any industry is always finding a good team of people to grow the business. So far, we have been very blessed with a dedicated team. We have grown from a small team of 5 to a solid team of 30, and there is still room for expansion in the near future!

While opening Wolf Burger, we came to realise that there are always more moving parts when opening a standalone quick service restaurant. The design and optimisation of the space plays a crucial role in our daily operations. Despite the few challenges we’ve faced, I think that our experience in running a sit-down concept eatery stood us in good stead.

Q: Personally, what is your favourite meal from Wolf Burger?

It’s hard to pick a favourite category as I love all the burgers, wraps and salads! But my go-to burger would have to be either the Wolf or the Magic Mushroom Burger.

Q: How are you looking to stay up-to-date with the demand for more things digital in Singapore’s F&B sector?

As a young business, we are constantly looking for ways to improve our operations, be more efficient and deliver more value to our customers. Technology plays a big role in all of these aspects.

We adopt technology in our kitchens, to help with quality control and the ordering process. With our Wolf Express mobile app, customers can beat the queue and order meals directly from their phones. We are also in the process of developing an online delivery option on our website.

Other businesses tend to view technology as a way to lower costs. For us, technology frees up our staff and allows us to better improve and enhance our overall customer experience.

We don’t only sell burgers. We provide excellent service to people who want our burgers.

Q:  What is your ethos in conceptualising new ideas, and staying fresh within the F&B industry?

The team is a well-travelled bunch! This feed us with lots of ideas and exposure to other cultures and tastes, which inspires us with new ideas for our burgers every time.

We are also very consumer driven. We speak to our customers and staff to find out what they would like to see in our menu, and we bounce our ideas off them. The great response from our recent burger concepts drive us to come up with more interesting offerings for our customers. It’s all about delivering what our customers want to see from us.