The Continental Bakery & Restaurant

“Our business operation has continuously expanded to meet customer demand. We have six branches located in Soi Khaotalo, Soi Bua Khao, The Avenue, and Jomtien and in Koh Samui. The 7th branch, located in L.K. Regent Condominium is now ready to cater more than 100 varieties of bread, cakes, cookies, yoghurts and other products to more than 170 hotels and restaurants. Our bakery also delivers to Bangkok and Huahin.” 

The bakery recently celebrated its 10 year anniversary and the opening of its 7th branch in LK Regent Condominium. Klinkhachorn, nicknamed Lek, told the history of her establishment by saying “I started my career by working at a bakery for a month. I was invited to start my own breakfast and bakery shop in Jomtien soon after. We did not have to invest substantially as we were re-selling bread products from other bakeries. However, due to financial implications, we were unable to order large deliveries at one time, so we came up with the idea of baking our own products. We researched various baking methods in cook books and purchased different types of four to make our own bread favors. We made frequent errors and had negative customer feedback saying that our bread were either too soft or hard. We focused on these feedbacks and made continuous improvements to try and meet the needs of our customers. The most important aspect of our business, apart from making quality products, is providing excellent customer service and satisfaction regardless of the quantity ordered.” 

Lek further recounted, “The business did not always operate smoothly. I faced many obstacles and nearly went bankrupt during the economic crisis due to substantial price hikes in raw materials and reduced customer numbers. There were also associated psychological issues brought on by bad business but I chose not to regress. I incorporated religious values into my business practice to help calm the mind and reduce stress, anger, greed and make myself and my employees happy. I chose to solve my problems one step at a time and did not pay interest to the competition in the market. I had to focus on my own business, prioritize and fix people’s situation. The future cannot be predicted but if we dedicate our best today, we will reap the rewards. The Continental Bakery & Restaurant is only successful because of I continue to uphold such values when running my business.” 

Lek concluded by forecasting that her business could be adapted into a Coffee & Bakery Shop. “We have not thought about franchises yet as this is traditionally a family business and changing the business could jeopardize the organization.”