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Sandwich gains popularity among the capital's hipsters
Where would you find a good sloppy joe sandwich in Jakarta?
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Sloppy joe with cheese at Sloppy Bro (Instagram.com/sloppybro/wsupraba )
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s one of those catchily named Western fast-food dishes, the sloppy joe should feel right at home in Jakarta’s hipster-filled culinary spaces.
This has, at last, happened with Sloppy Bro, the sloppy joe-dedicated food joint that initially opened up shop two years ago at the then-burgeoning Pasar Santa area of South Jakarta, before taking a hiatus — likely because of the drop in Santa’s overall visitors. The brand resurrected itself last month with a new joint up at the literally much-cooler Terminal 3 area of Soekarno-Hatta airport.
While Santa’s traditional-market-turned-hipster-hotbed was perhaps a case of a hot-but-temporary trend, the airport never goes out of style.
(Read also: Most popular 'kaki lima' in Jakarta)
Unggul Tri “Deta” Widetya came up with Sloppy Bro alongside his buddy Hafizh. An artist by trade, Deta and his screen-printing-businessman friend started off the business on impulse, considering the cheap rent in Santa.
With three other friends, Deta and Hafizh witnessed the rapidly rising popularity of their little food joint. So much so that even after they closed their first joint, they knew they wanted to continue the venture. They initially moved to the Food Fighters area of Blok M Square, where, like at Santa, they were situated next to vinyl, comics and other boutique joints.
“Right after that, we got an offer to collaborate in a franchise in the culinary Santa project at Terminal 3 at Soekarno Hatta Airport,” says Deta, explaining that it was a collective initiative by other Santa alumni.
Deta said that he was optimistic that the new location would put Sloppy Bro in the big league.
“The new Sloppy Bro is set us up for a wider audience, including non-food aficionado customers,” he said, explaining that visitors to Santa and Food Fighters were mostly culinary enthusiasts, which would explain their willingness to eat in less-than-comfortable places.
A photo posted by Sloppy Bro 🍔 (@sloppybro) on
(Read also: Backstory behind favorite dining spot of locals: 'warteg')
“The outlet became more family friendly, more subtle and more informative. We had to make changes to make sure that we’d be able to provide a good overview for customers – who might not be familiar with sloppy joes — to be able to order,” added Deta.
When asked to explain what exactly goes into Sloppy Bro’s sloppy joes, Deta said it was a mix of ground beef, onions and a variety of seasonings, with the special Bro sauces. Deta said that the gimmicky appeal of the sloppy joe was also something that his business counted on.
“It’s got an old history in the US, but is still a rare dish in Indonesia, you know?”
His confidence stems from customers who have gone out of their way to praise the Sloppy Bros’s joes — including a westerner who said that it was so good that it made him feel he was back in the good ol’ US.
Sloppy Bro’s popularity owes a lot to the western-style food truck culture that has been growing for the last few months (tacos have been a favorite recently) and Deta admits that the “coolness” of his establishment is due to word of mouth that spread through social media.
Sloppy Bro’s mouthwatering menu ranges across an assortment of sloppy joes tastes and other patty-styled mixes, including the Meat Sandwich (a mix between a burger and grilled cheese sandwich) and, of course, a drink called the Soda Bro.
“Our latest food item is the Sloppy Chicken Sandwich, which is an option for any non-beef eaters. But the joes are still there, which is our benchmark. The ingredients for the chicken sandwich include grilled chicken breast, mayo and all the veggies every little boy needs.”
For Deta and his friends, the end goal is a simple one — to make the customer smile.
“We want them to finish their meal and say ‘I gotta bring my girlfriend next time, then my wife’”.
