Jack's Place is a Western-styled restaurant that targets the family demographic. It is a subsidiary group of JP Pepperdine, established in 1966 by Jack Hunt. There are 16 outlets in Singapore and a central kitchen in 10 Defu Lane.
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History
Mr Say Lip Hai immigrated to Singapore from Hainan and first found work in the Sembawang Barracks, where he spent his time cooking and serving meals to British troops. He opened the Cola Restaurant and Bar in 1967 in Sembawang where he served both the public and British and Commonwealth troops.
In 1969, Mr Say was approached by a British couple, Mr and Mrs Jack Hunt, who were impressed by the quality of steak prepared and subsequently suggested they collaborate. As partners, Mr Jack Hunt and Mr Say Lip Hai opened a catering business operating out of Mr Jack Hunt's pub in Killiney Road, which eventually became Jack’s Place Steak House.
In 1972, Mr Hunt moved back to England and sold the business to Mr Say.
Because Western-themed restaurants had congregated in the town area, Mr Say opened locations in suburban neighbourhoods. He obtained a location in Ang Mo Kio and named his new outlet Jack's Garden. The colours of the original Jack's Place were changed to green and white after Mr Say bought the company.
In 1991, a headquarters building at Defu Lane was built. In 1993, the company began providing catering services.
Female waitresses at one time wore traditional Malay Kebaya sarongs (Malay ethnic dress) as their outfits. In the 1990s, it was changed to the current outfit. The restaurant design for Jack's Place started out with dark colours and wood tones. The colour scheme later changed to blue and red checkers.
In 1996, the company faced a financial setback caused by an outbreak of mad cow disease. Business fell by as much as 25 percent, as Singaporeans avoided Jack’s Place and its primarily-bovine menu.
In 2003, the company opened the first Jack's Place outlet in Utama, Malaysia. In 2006, a new brand, Eatzi Gourmet, was introduced.
In 2008, the company went through a re-branding and the restaurants now fall under the new umbrella company JP Pepperdine Table spreads were changed to match the green and white checkered design following the rebranding. The company also opened Brewbaker's Kitchen & Bar.
In 2010, the company acquired Restaurant Hoshigaoka. The latest Jack's Place outlet opened in Paya Lebar Square on Christmas 2014.
Products
Jack's Place features a variety of steak. The restaurant also serves grills, salads, seafood, pizza and pasta. The signature dish is the Jack's Special Steak which is a centre-cut tenderloin topped with fresh asparagus and black mushroom sauce. Another offering is the Sambal Steak which combines local-style sambal chilli with the Western steak.
Recent projects
In collaboration with the Health Promotion Board, Jack's Place participates in the Healthier Dining Programme. The first phase of HPB’s food strategy aims to increase the number of healthier eat-out meals consumed to 180 million meals per year by 2020 by partnering with 18 food service providers to offer 500-calorie meals across 700 outlets and stalls island-wide. In accordance with this, the restaurants features healthier options throughout their menu.