CHICKEN RICE has all the time been an enormous half of the Shin household. Ever since their father arrange his first stall in 1992, the household of 4 has been working a profitable hen rice enterprise.
“He decided to start the business when he realised he wanted to start his own family. He believed that he could provide for the family better this way,” stated daughter Li Wen. And this proved to be true.
Their store which is positioned in Section 17 of Petaling Jaya, has been a go-to place for hen rice amongst locals for years.
In truth, their enterprise did so effectively that the household have been in a position to swap from a small stall to having their very own hen rice restaurant referred to as Kedai Kopi Yun Kei.
“Back then, we were located at a restaurant called Wah Cheong that is near the Caring pharmacy. That was the first place,” recalled Stanley, the son within the household.
Humble beginnings
However, their journey into realising this objective was not straightforward, given their father’s deteriorating well being situation. After a couple of years of working the enterprise, he was sadly identified with kidney failure. As a consequence, he was unable to handle the shop as he simply received exhausted from working.
This prompted Stanley to step up and take his place after his commencement from faculty, serving to his mom, whom patrons know as Ms Jenny.
“After I graduated, I joined my dad full-time. And I also did it to provide for my family. If not, my family would not have any income.”
Li Wen adopted swimsuit a couple of years later. While she was definitely serving to the household out, she additionally had a day job in an e-commerce start-up. But she finally give up after studying that the enterprise was struggling as a result of pandemic.
She stated: “I felt like I could not grow and did not like my job very much. So, I was thinking of switching jobs but I decided to join my family’s business instead after learning that we did not have enough workers.
“It was during the pandemic. I thought it would be a waste if we were to close down the business, since we have been doing this for so long and have existing customers. So, I decided to come back.”
New area, new prospects
The new area has certainly been a blessing to the household. Although it does include extra tasks, the brand new location has given the household extra alternatives to serve their clients.
Li Wen stated: “It comes with more freedom. Back then, when we were running a stall alone, we were kind of restricted.
“Like you were not allowed to sell more than one item. But now with our own store, we can do anything we want!”
And the household has been doing simply that. Apart from promoting their traditional hen rice, additionally they serve different scrumptious dishes like curry laksa.
Besides having the ability to provide new dishes, the area has additionally given them extra liberty and management over different critical issues.
As Stanley defined: “When we were only running a stall, we had to share the fridge with everyone else. So, many times we clashed with others since the space is very limited.
“And adding to what Li Wen said, we had to always follow the owner’s instructions. For instance, if the coffee shop owner was going to take a break, we all had to follow suit despite us paying the same amount of rent.”
Chicken rice all the time first
While the household has expanded their menu, their major focus and attraction will all the time be their beloved hen rice dish. After all, it’s what began the entire household enterprise.
But apparently, when requested about their secret to their success, the household didn’t primarily credit score their signature dish.
Instead, they talked about different essential facets like affordability and relationships with clients.
“I do not think our chicken rice is the best because everyone has a different taste. But I will say mine is the most worth it to try and eat. I have always aimed to make it affordable to all of our target audiences,” famous Stanley.
Whereas Li Wen identified the closeness with clients as a key to their success.
“I think it also has to do with the relationships we have with our customers. This is because my mum is like the nicest person, and many of our customers have told us that it is easy to connect with her.
“Some have even treated her as if she is their friend. For instance, some of our older customers would share personal things with her when they order.”
What’s subsequent
The household has certainly come a good distance since their days working as a single stall. With their present efficiency and fixed dedication, it’s foreseeable that the Shin household will take the enterprise to better heights.
But within the coming years, their focus is to primarily enhance the workflow within the restaurant.
“I think our focus would be more on minimising human work in the store. This is because everything now is very [labour intensive]. So, we are thinking of trying machines out,” shared Li Wen.
When requested in regards to the potential of increasing, Stanley highlighted that they’ve but to construct a crew.
“We feel like we have not built the team and connections yet. Like for instance, a marketing and management team. And considering the pandemic, it is also very risky to do so. So, our focus now is improving the store here.”
Kedai Kopi Yun Kei is positioned at 923, Jalan 17/38, Seksyen 17, 46400 Petaling Jaya, Selangor.
