Taiwanese Comedian Nono Cuts Ties With Monga Fried Chicken Cutlet Chain
He revealed in an interview that he left the company last December due to differing views about where the business is headed.
Taiwanese comedian Nono, the face and founder of popular Taiwanese fried chicken cutlet chain Monga, has cut ties with the brand.
Nono, 50, announced on Facebook yesterday (Jul 1) that he has withdrawn from Monga’s management completely. He also urged his fans to continue supporting the brand.
“From December 31, 2020, I, Chen Hsuan Yu Nono, has fully terminated the authorisation of the use of images of myself and other artistes (including photos, videos, media exposure) by Yuanzhi Branding Corporation Ltd domestically or internationally, and have officially withdrawn from the Monga management team,” he wrote.
In an interview with Apple Daily, Nono revealed that they ended their partnership on December 31 last year, but he only announced it six months later as he was afraid the news would affect the company.
After all, there are people who are joining [Monga] because of the artistes so I feel the parent company should inform the subsidiaries and franchise stores at home and abroad, he said.
Monga was founded by Nono and a partner six years ago, and it now has almost 50 branches worldwide including London, Toronto and Singapore.
On his departure, Nono said: Now that the brand has taken off and the parent company is doing well, there are always people who want to invest in the company. But subsequently, my portrait was not just used [in the branding] to sell chicken cutlets, but also on the company's façade and other operations. [They even used] photos of the other artistes too. So I feel it’s better that I explain why I left the management.
He also revealed that he and the company have differing views about where the business is headed.
“The company and I have a different set of ideals and direction. I am not the largest shareholder so since there is no way to control the company's business direction, it is better to sell my stake of the company to my partner and leave the company,” he said, adding that he is now working with friends to sell health food, masks, and biomedical products.
When 8days.sg contacted the local Monga team, they said they were surprised by the news of Nono’s exit and were only told about it by Monga Taiwan via a phone call earlier today.
They added that the Singapore franchise is not expected to be affected by his departure and that they will likely no longer be able to use the star’s image in their branding. They also wish Nono well in his future business endeavours.
Photos: 8 DAYS
