PETALING JAYA: Malaysia’s first and original shaker fries brand, Happy Potato, has entered four new markets within six months, reaching 126 outlets across five countries in the company’s fastest expansion since its founding seven years ago.
The latest expansion saw Happy Potato nearly doubling its Malaysian network to 117 outlets nationwide during this period, alongside three outlets in Bangladesh and two each in Indonesia, China and Cambodia.
Happy Potato started business in 2019 with a single outlet in Suria Sabah, Kota Kinabalu, before expanding into Peninsular Malaysia in 2023 and accelerating its franchise rollout over the past two years.
The company entered Bangladesh in February and later expanded into Indonesia that same month. China became its third overseas market in May, with a second outlet opening the following month. This month, the company entered Cambodia while opening its third outlet in Bangladesh, completing its entry into four international markets within six months.
Happy Potato CEO and co-founder Edmund Lim said the pace of expansion was made possible by years of refining the company’s franchise model, operational systems and brand positioning before taking the business overseas.
“Opening an outlet is only one part of expansion. The bigger challenge is making sure customers receive the same experience, product quality and service standards regardless of where they visit us. That requires the right operating systems, franchise support and local partners.
“The past six months have allowed us to put those systems into practice across different markets. Every country operates differently, so each opening has strengthened our understanding of how to scale the business while staying consistent with what customers expect from Happy Potato,” he said.
Growth overseas follows a period of rapid expansion in Malaysia. After opening its first directly operated outlet in Peninsular Malaysia in October 2023, Happy Potato added 98 outlets between 2024 and 2025, making it one of the country’s largest homegrown shaker fries chains.
“Happy Potato began as a homegrown Malaysian fries brand, and today we’re serving customers across five markets. But this is only the first chapter. Under our 2028 plan, we aim to achieve 200 stores nationwide and also look at Asia, expanding to three to five more countries,” Lim said.
Collaborating with McCain Foods, a manufacturer of premium potato products, Happy Potato celebrated its seventh anniversary in conjunction with World Fries Day on July 13 with its “Unlimited Free Flow Shaker Fries” promotion at Sunway Square Mall, Bandar Sunway, Selangor.
Now it’s running a “Happy Shake” campaign until Sept 8 across all outlets in Malaysia.
In recounting Happy Potato’s brand story, director and co-founder Colleen Phang said: “When our dream first started in Suria Sabah, our focus was simply on serving great fries. Today, we’re working with franchise partners across five countries, but our priorities remain the same. Every outlet should deliver the same quality, consistency and customer experience that people associate with Happy Potato.”
“We’re grateful to our customers, franchisees and business partners who have grown with us over the past seven years. Their support has allowed us to reach markets we never imagined in our early days, and we’re excited about what comes next,” she added.
Phang said maintaining consistent fry quality has always been central to the brand’s promise. “French fries are among the most temperature-sensitive products in the food and beverage industry. Even brief breaks in the cold chain can affect texture and crispiness. That’s why we work with McCain Foods, using fries with a specially engineered crispy coating that helps lock in crispiness for longer while preserving a fluffy interior and fresh potato taste, enabling us to deliver the same quality and consistency across every Happy Potato outlet, while ensuring customers continue enjoying crispy fries even after takeaway or delivery.”
The Happy Shake campaign gives a new interactive way for customers to enjoy shaker fries by allowing them to shake their own fries. Available at RM9.90 a la carte or RM5.90 combo meal purchase-with-purchase, the campaign also features a lucky draw and a social media challenge for a chance to win weekly and grand prizes.
