Poi Dog Philly Marketing Podcast Interview
Small Business Saturday Marketing Interview with Poi Dog Philly!
Poi Dog Philly’s food cart and catering business are separate from their physical restaurant business. When they acquired the food cart, Kiki and Chris took classes at the Wharton School of Business for small business development so that they could learn the ropes of running a successful small business. Kiki stems from Hawaiian and Hong Kong roots and Chris was familiar with a few different Hawaiian dishes, so they decided to serve local Hawaiian-style dishes, plate lunches, and snacks. Poi Dogs menu started small, allowing Kiki and Chris to master the Poi Dog classics before growing their menu.
Poi Dog Philly is the only restaurant in Philadelphia that offers Hawaiian local food. There is a big difference between local Hawaiian food and Hawaiian food. Local Hawaiian food is more of a mashup of different foods from all of the cultures that migrated to Hawaii. The most common local food in Hawaii is the plate lunches, which is the majority of what Poi Dog offers. Poi Dog also serves Poke, a crowd favorite. All of the Poke at Poi Dog is unique because it is served with salt and seaweed directly from Hawaii. Kiki sources the ingredients from Hawaii herself.
Catering and events is also a big part of Poi Dog Philly’s business model. Poi Dog participates in a number of food cart events in and around Philadelphia such as Night Market and Clover Market. Poi Dog also offers event catering – they cater everything from weddings and school events to major corporate events like Forbes’ 30 under 30.
Kiki and Chris still involve education in their business. They teach a number of cooking classes and other free classes throughout the year. They believe strongly in giving back to their community through learning and education.
Listen to Chris, Kiki, and Poi Dog Philly’s’ full story on episode 8 of the Small Business Saturday Philadelphia Podcast. You can follow Poi Dog Philly on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Visit their website for more information on Poi Dog Philly including menus, press coverage, and more.
