and encouragement to those who receive our bento to face their everyday challenge,” says Kian.To this end, the Hinode Bento website allows customers to customise and write a short message on the bento label. Kian adds, “Sometimes our staff would even draw random doodles on the label just to give customers some surprise; if you get one it’s your lucky day.”
During the mornings and afternoons, the shop dished up Hinode Bento’s packaged meals while in the evenings, the space was taken over by Hinoiri which served anstyle dinner. Eventually there was a change in operation and the team decided Hinode Bento should focus more on delivery. The impact on their first business taught the team a lesson: it would be wiser not to focus too much on dine-in but be open to a delivery model instead.
Their strategy appears to be working, given encouraging feedback from the early adopters who form their first pool of customers. Viko adds, “We are very glad they love what we had to offer, from the food to the bento as a gifting idea. We are thankful for our customers’ honest opinions, which helps us to improve each day.”Currently Hinode Bento has only one location in Bukit Jalil for both delivery and pickup.