YOGYAKARTA — The scorching midday heat makes the chicken noodle dish even more appealing to serve. This popular street food delicacy features noodles in a thick, savory sauce topped with chopped green onions, is a must-try when you are in Yogyakarta. Do not miss out on Mie Ayam Bakso CJDW, a product of the Warung BERES Program by Dompet Dhuafa. You can find it at Jl. Ngapak-Kentheng No. KM 6.5, Cokro Gedok, Sidoarum, Godean, Sleman District.
True to its unique name, seje dewe, the distinctiveness of these chicken noodles comes from the authentic noodles Pak Gito uses. Pak Gito, the owner, maintains its distinctive taste to satisfy every customer. Besides chicken noodles, the meatball dish also has its own uniqueness, as it is made from Pak Gito’s special recipe.
Pak Gito has been dedicated to this Indonesian culinary business since moving to Jakarta in the ’90s. With entrepreneurship training from Dompet Dhuafa, he has now managed to expand, owning an outlet and employing several workers.
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However, Pak Gito’s journey to this point was not without its challenges. From having nothing, he has now become the family’s hero.
Before this success, Pak Gito was a street vendor. Literally on the street; a wooden cart with two wheels and a support stick. Every day, he would set up at a hall frequently used by locals for gatherings, inspiring the name Mie Ayam Cakruk for his chicken noodle business. This unique name is still used today as a way to remember the history, and it’s still listed under that name in digital maps (see https://maps.app.goo.gl/py89rKqQu1CjWYhb8?g_st=ic).
In 2011, Pak Gito joined the Warung BERES (Clean, Delicious, Healthy) community group, an economic empowerment program run by Dompet Dhuafa Jogja. The Warung BERES Program includes business coaching, capital assistance, and trade associations. Notably, the Warung BERES Program also collaborates with UGM to mentor each benefit recipients.
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“How was I to develop my business with not even 500,000 IDR to my name? I was confused about how to grow this business. But I wanted to progress,” he shared his memories with Dompet Dhuafa on Wednesday (11/8/2023).
After about 6 months of coaching and finding motivating peers within the community, Mie Ayam Cakruk experienced year-on-year improvements. Armed with the knowledge gained during the coaching, Pak Gito dared to rent an outlet to produce more noodles and serve more customers.
“Thankfully, my wife had savings of 6 million IDR at the time, from selling valuable items and jewelry. She fully supported our business to grow. Then in 2006, we moved here. We used that money to rent for 3 months. Thankfully, after that, we kept growing. Gradually, I was able to rent for a year. Until now,” he continued.
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At this outlet, Pak Gito began to expand his sales by adding meatball dishes and various drinks to the menu. However, he has always maintained his noodle dough recipe and sauce mixture.
He admits that he got to know about the Warung BERES Program by Dompet Dhuafa through a friend’s encouragement. His determination to grow was strengthened by the support from the community members. Now, after 7 years at the outlet, many things have improved, from the menu variety and customer base to now having two employees.
“I was hesitant about moving here. Can I do it? That was the question,” he added.
Pak Gito vividly remembers the advice from the UGM mentors. He notably learned the importance of maintaining cleanliness throughout all business aspects, from utensils to the entire production process.
“For example, food containers must be washed with running water. Tables should be neatly arranged and not cluttered,” he recalls the advice from his mentors.
As a benchmark, one significant improvement is the amount of noodles and meatballs produced and sold daily. Initially, when he was still using a cart, 2 kilograms of noodles often would not sell out in a day. Now, Pak Gito needs to produce at least 20 kilograms of noodles daily.
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From those 20 kilograms of noodles, he can make 250 servings of chicken noodles. Similarly, the meatball dish sells 250 servings daily. Therefore, Mie Ayam Bakso CJDW serves around 500 customers daily, assuming one serving per customer.
Mie Ayam Bakso CJDW is open from 08:00 AM to 07:00 PM local time. Lunchtime is the busiest for customers. He does not mind opening the eatery every day without a day off since he lives there with his wife and two school-aged children; the eldest in 3rd grade of MTsN (Islamic junior high school) and the youngest in 1st grade of MI (Islamic elementary school).
Pak Gito remains hesitant about online sales, feeling content with his current business scale and mindful of his capacity. As part of the Warung BERES community, he must go the extra mile to maintain the quality and cleanliness of his products. Moreover, the eatery undergoes thorough maintenance every month.
“There was a time I tried opening a branch, but it became unmanageable and eventually closed. For online sales, I was lack of manpower,” he said softly.
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The Ramadan month brings its blessings for Pak Gito. He shares that 250 servings of chicken noodles and 250 servings of meatballs are sold out even before Maghrib.
His experience in the chicken noodle world dates back to his time in Jakarta. He worked in noodle production for chicken noodle dishes, which gave him a deep understanding of the process from mixing the dough to serving the noodles ready to eat.
“My boss entrusted me with making the noodles. I did that for about 4 years. But I started to feel uncomfortable,” he recounted.
After four years, he grew uncomfortable with the transactional and individualistic life in Jakarta. That’s why Pak Gito chose to move to Yogyakarta to start his own business.
With his extensive experience in the chicken noodle industry, he can even distinguish the quality of noodles available in the market. Pak Gito’s Mie Ayam Bakso CJDW is known for its delicious taste.
Even amidst his success, Pak Gito remains grateful for the support from Dompet Dhuafa’s donors. He proudly displays the Dompet Dhuafa logo in his eatery, unhesitant to show his gratitude. (Dompet Dhuafa/Muthohar)