It seem like the perfect marketing gimmick: a unique military-looking food truck with a tagline of “Take Your Shot” printed on its 2 “rocket launchers” to promote the cafe’s business.
However, the police weren’t not impressed. 2 Zawara Coffee employees, aged 28 and 24, were arrested on Tuesday (19th July) after being spotted driving the truck along Jalan Semarak Api, Cyberjaya. They were later released on bail.
Kamarul Ariff, Group CEO of Zawara Coffee Sdn Bhd, have since apologised if the company’s gimmick had caused panic among the locals, adding that it was never Zawara Coffee’s intention to mimic an armed military vehicle.
“If you look closely, the truck’s design was not military camouflage but pictures of the food we sell at Zawara. There are motifs of burgers and churros,” he explained to Free Malaysia Today. Meanwhile, the “Take Your Shot” slogan was simply to encourage customers to try out their espresso shots.
Kamarul also told The Star that the truck had been travelling to other Zawara outlets in the Klang Valley for the past 2 months and no one had any issues with it until recently.
To avoid future confusions, Kamarul informed Astro AWANI that the vehicle will be repainted with Zawara’s corporate colours which are black and purple.
“We are going to re-paint it according to our corporate colour and we will destroy the “rocket” because it is made of fiberglass. It does not reflect a rocket launcher, it is just a rocket. We will change the rocket and replace it with the Zawara (coffee) cup,” he said.
In addition to the concept cafes in Setia Alam, Taman Tun Dr Ismail, Cyberjaya, Putrajaya, Damansara, and The Curve, Zawara Coffee also has 3 branches in Bukit Jelutong, Bangi, and Setapak.
For inquiring minds, check out their official website on what the local coffee chain has to offer or visit their Facebook page.
