According to Hock Kee Kopitiam Founder Nick Ng, leaps of faith require having a firm belief in what you’re doing and to take on challenges one task at a time.
By Claudia Khaw
Most Malaysians likely have enjoyed a or two meal at Nanyang kopitiam-styled diners. There are so many options in the market these days, from Oriental Kopi to Papparich.
One up-and-coming name in this scene is Hock Kee Kopitiam.
Founder and CEO Nick Ng was born and raised in Pontian, Johor. He pursued Business Information Technology at Coventry University, but after interviewing at an IT company, he realised the field wasn’t the right fit for him.
So, he spent the next decade working in a bank instead.
“After leaving the bank, I tried my hand at various industries, including buying and selling houses, which provided a good income, but I didn’t find any real satisfaction in it,” says Ng.
Where his passions lied, rather, was in food and “people-watching”.
Not motivated by just financial gains, Ng wanted to experience a life where he could fully commit to doing something he loves.
That led him to open Hock Kee Kopitiam in 2018.
“Many people say I am fearless because I had no prior experience in opening a restaurant. I’m not afraid of facing new challenges head-on. I know many people might have opened restaurants without success, but I firmly believe that if others can do it, why can’t I?” says Ng.
According to Ng, at Hock Kee Kopitiam, variety is king.
It serves between 100 to 150 dishes, including traditional Malaysian foods and classic dishes with a modern twist.
The menu is typically updated once every six months, allowing the team to introduce new food and drink options while removing the less popular ones.
All dishes are developed by Ng himself.
“As the founder of Hock Kee Kopitiam, I take a hands-on approach in curating the menu. I voice my concerns more because, like our customers, I have high standards. I want to ensure that every dish we serve is something I would be excited to eat myself,” says Ng.
The challenge that comes with offering such a wide variety of options, though, is consistency. To that end, Ng shared that it’s all about listening to customers, whom he says are “the best Quality Control”.
“If a customer says a dish isn’t delicious, we take it seriously,” says Ng.
Taking it seriously means checking the kitchen processes, ingredients, and preparation methods to ensure everything is as it should be.
“Mistakes can happen since chefs are human too. If we find an issue, we have the chef prepare a new dish for the customer. If the customer still isn’t satisfied, we’ll refund their money,” says Ng.
The chain does have a central kitchen, but it is only used to make basic sauces.
To prioritise quality, Ng insists that the chefs cook every dish. Each of their six branches has around twenty chefs responsible for different tasks.
“Many people have asked me if this approach is too slow and if the employee costs are high. However, every time I open a branch, I treat it as the first store. If the existing branches of Hock Kee can maintain quality, why can’t the subsequent ones do the same? Opening a store is like managing a country. Food is our weapon, and employees are our generals. We have to protect our country, which is Hock Kee, so I have to make sure that I have prepared the right ‘weapons’ and have enough ‘generals’ to manage the entire operation,” says Ng.
Just recently, Hock Kee Kopitiam announced the happy news that it has obtained halal-certified by JAKIM.
This is great news for all six locations of Hock Kee Kopitiam across Malaysia. There are four outlets in Johor (City Square, Taman Molek, Toppen Mall, and Sutera Utama) and two outlets in Kuala Lumpur (Bangsar South and Kota Damansara).
In terms of expansion plans, Ng says that they’re opening a new outlet at Tuah 1985 in Kuala Lumpur soon. Hock Kee Kopitiam is also on track to open another one to two outlets in Kuala Lumpur, bringing their total to 10 stores in KL and Johor.
“The most important thing is to focus on doing our job well, rather than following the crowd and rapidly expanding without a solid plan. Opening fifty branches just to keep up with others can lead to losing our direction and compromising our standards,” says Ng.
So far, the kopitiam brand isn’t offering franchising opportunities, even though people have asked about it.
“Sure, franchising can bring inaccessible capital, but I don’t feel right about selling those opportunities if I don’t have the confidence to help others succeed. It’s a big responsibility, and I’m still deciding whether to take that on now,” says Ng.
Note from the Editor: This feature has been edited from its original publication here.
