Home-grown Sabah fried chicken Borenos set to become a major player in local fast-food scene
AMID the boycotts of various international fast-food chains regarded as pro-Zionist in the on-going Israel-Hamas conflict, one pertinent question kept popping up.
Why aren’t there home-grown brands that can step into the breach?
Well, aside from Marry Brown and DarSa Fried Chicken (among others), there now appears to be a major player in the fried poultry game. Originating from Sabah, the franchise called Borenos is founded by siblings, Janice and Kenji Yeo.
Highlighting the apparent success story on X is a post by co-founder of Mokky’s Pizza – Umar (@umarmaggi) – who pointed out that the 100% Sabahan-owned franchise has managed to rake in RM20 mil-plus in revenue for 2023.
Dekat Sabah, ada satu kedai ayam goreng yg padu. Kalah KFC.
As of 2023, Borenos Fried Chicken ada:
- 5 outlets (latest one kat Puchong)
- 100% local Sabahan brand
- Revenue 2023: 20Juta+
20Mil+ with 4 outlets sounds 
Who started and owns Borenos?
Who started and owns Borenos?
This was achieved with just five outlets – the latest one in Puchong, Selangor (its first outside of Sabah). Derived from “Borneo + Sabah”, Borenos which was established in 2015 aspires to represent pride of Borneo with the ultimate mission serving the local communities.
Stating that the founders saw an opportunity to compete with the established franchises by catering to local palates, the poster also pointed out the recipes use many local ingredients to create a taste that is familiar to locals.
In essence, Borenos was established based on three principles – consistency of crispiness, taste that suits local taste buds and competitive pricing.
The poster also highlighted key business strategies behind Borenos success. This includes tapping into local pride for a home-grown Sabahan brand as well as strategic locations for its outlets.
It was also pointed out affordability and family-friendly settings as key alongside the all-important halal certification.
In 2017, the brand – while targetting students and families – began establishing itself in the Kota Kinabalu area by introducing local side dishes.
Two years later, Borenos began to attract more tourists as visitors began to hear about the local “must try” fried chicken. That was when the brand began to leverage the power of social media with photo-worthy packaging and pose-attracting store designs.
Despite the challenges posed by the pandemic, Borenos continued to grow and now has expanded beyond the borders of Sabah with its first Peninsular outlet in Puchong.
The poster further highlighted that Borenos was driven by local pride, product quality and community-driven marketing.
He stated that he is always looking to learn and it is very possible that some tips from Borenos can be applied to his own brand of Mokky’s pizza.
A few netizens backed up this success story by stating they found the food at the Puchong outlet to be quite tasty.
It is good that there are home-grown brands vying for foodies’ attention with the added unique selling point that Borenos is introducing Sabahan dishes to their Peninsular brethren.
Only time will tell if Borenos is successful in penetrating the West Malaysian market. FocusM wishes these budding food & beverage (F&B) entrepreneurs all the very best of luck. – Jan 15, 2025
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