TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
President’s sons open food joint to huge crowd in Medan
Change Size
Bobby Nasution (left), owner of Kopi Jolo, head of North Sumatra Intelligence Agency head Brig. Gen. Ruruh A. Setyawibawa (second left), Medan Mayor Tengku Dzulmi Eldin (third left), North Sumatra Police chief Insp. Gen. Paulus Waterpauw (center), the Air Force's Sector-III/Medan commander, First Marshal Tri Bowo Budi Santoso (third right), Gibran Rakabuming Raka, owner of Markobar, and Kaesang Pangarep, owner of Sang Pisang (right), cut a ribbon during the grand opening of the three brand owners' food outlet, Kedai Rakyat, in Medan on May 26. (JP/Nurni Sulaiman)
Y
oung culinary businessmen Gibran Rakabuming Raka, 30, brother Kaesang Pangarep, 23, and their brother in-law Bobby Nasution, 26, got a warm welcome from the crowd and top officials in Medan, North Sumatra during the grand opening of their latest culinary outlet on Saturday.
The three, each presenting their own brand of culinary products, engaged in a mock battle called “3-in-1 Fighting Spektakuliner” during the opening of food outlet Kedai Rakyat on Jl. Iskandar Muda 47-A.
Gibran presented martabak from his well-known brand Markobar, while Kaesang showed off his Sang Pisang brand, which produces banana fritters, at Kedai Rakyat. Bobby sold coffee under the brand Kopi Jolo.
Kedai Rakyat (People’s Food Joint) is the first collaboration from the three businessmen.
Top officials celebrated the opening ceremony, including Medan Mayor Tengku Dzulmi Eldin, North Sumatra Police chief Insp. Gen. Paulus Waterpauw, North Sumatra Intelligence Agency head Brig. Gen. Ruruh A. Setyawibawa and Air Force Sector-III/Medan commander First Marshal Tri Bowo Budi Santoso.
Sihar Sitorus, Medan’s top businessman, who is running in the North Sumatra gubernatorial election, was also present during the opening. The huge crowd, however, foiled his plan to buy a cup of coffee.
Flower boards lined Jl. Iskandar Muda, Jl. Bahorok and other streets too. The three products also got a warm reception on food delivery service Go-Food.
“I cannot believe this, there are so many people here. Kedai Rakyat has received a warm welcome in Medan,” Gibran said in the press conference after the grand opening on Saturday.
He said he had opened 30 outlets of Markobar across the archipelago, including in Medan, Palembang, Balikpapan, Bali, Bandung and Surabaya.
Medan Mayor Dzulmi said he respected the three young men and hoped other young people would follow in their footsteps to get out of poverty.
“Look at the Gibran, Kaesang, and Bobby we believe that we could develop the country through the young spirit,” he said. Dzulmi said such creativity should be inspiring for other young people.
“[Such business] could help alleviate poverty and strengthen micro-business as a populist economy,” said Dzulmi.
Gibran and Kaesang are President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo’s sons and Bobby is Jokowi’s son-in-law through his marriage to Jokowi’s daughter, Kahiyang Ayu.
Gibran denied he was taking advantage of his father’s position. “Had I exploited my connection, I would be a lawmaker and would not be selling martabak,” he said. (evi)
