Being round for over 50 years in Singapore, Keng Eng Kee (KEK) Seafood began off as a Chinese language wok-style delicacies and has developed over time with the culinary affect from multi-racial residing, totally different dialect teams and internationalisation.
Embodying the Singaporean spirit of embracing variations and bonding as one, the three-generational enterprise is not simply an genuine Hainanese eatery, however slightly, a meals joint providing a “rojak” of cuisines that everybody in Singapore will get pleasure from.
We’re distinctive in such a approach that we’re a heritage model and our delicacies has developed all through the generations. Now we have safeguard recipes from the primary technology, resembling our signature Claypot Pig Liver, in addition to the Cuttlefish Kang Kong and Moonlight Horfun from our second technology, and the distinctive flavour of the present technology is the Espresso Pork Ribs.
– Paul Liew, managing director of KEK Seafood
Paul, collectively along with his siblings, have given the enterprise a brand new contact ever since they took over from the earlier technology.
Although some would assume that the meals and beverage (F&B) business is a saturated and aggressive one, which makes sustaining a F&B enterprise difficult, Paul shares that “[t]aking over the enterprise was not a tough resolution” for him and his siblings.
A approach to acquire misplaced time
KEK Seafood’s story dates all the way in which again to the Nineteen Seventies, when Paul’s grandparents migrated from Hainan Island in China to Singapore in hopes of securing a greater life for his or her household.
They determined to make a residing out of their culinary expertise, and arrange a hawker stall within the Outdated Havelock Highway to serve wok-style dishes for dinner and supper.
Little did they know they had been establishing themselves because the first-generation homeowners of present meals joint KEK Seafood, for this hawker stall was then handed on to Paul’s mom who helped out on the hawker stall ever since she was of the age to work.
When it got here to his technology, Paul shares that they had been supplied with correct schooling and informed to discover different fields of profession choices. His household was even insistent that they shouldn’t take over the household enterprise.
“With the lengthy hours and hardship the earlier technology went by way of, they made a agency resolution that we should always pursue different profession paths”, he recollects.
Regardless of his household advising them to do in any other case, Paul and his siblings — who’ve at all times been serving to out with the enterprise operations — willingly determined to take over the enterprise.
As hawkers, the bonding time with household has at all times been rare. So, by taking on, we gained not solely further serving to palms within the enterprise, however most significantly, we gained the misplaced time with our mother and father after we had been children.
– Paul Liew, managing director of KEK Seafood
Since then, they’ve always been making adjustments to the enterprise by implementing what they learnt from faculty and observing the traits within the business.
Household first, enterprise later
Each technology that runs the enterprise faces a singular set of challenges.
For Paul and his siblings, the primary problem was altering the mode of operations. This was particularly difficult, for the family-run enterprise already had a sure tradition and behavior in place.
“It took me [four] years to implement using know-how, resembling putting orders utilizing a pill, as a result of resistance from the older workers who’ve a concern of the unfamiliar”, he stated.
His tip? Adjustments can’t be enforced unto others, so companies ought to start with the coaching of the youthful and newer workers.
When he and his siblings did that, the older technology was ultimately satisfied that the effectivity of know-how helped the enterprise to develop, and had been thus extra receptive in the direction of adopting technological practices.
The subsequent principal problem thrown their approach was having to take care of COVID-19, particularly the gloomy interval throughout the circuit breaker in 2020. Like each different F&B enterprise, their standard mode of enterprise was disrupted.
That was when Paul’s late grandmother emphasised the significance of going again to their elementary perception — household first, then enterprise. This was a saying that has been informed from technology to technology.
Throughout this powerful interval, KEK Seafood made an effort to maintain their staff intact, to maintain the “household” in “household enterprise” going. “This worth is larger than the remainder of the values handed down”, Paul shares.
As such, none of their workers had been laid off, nor had been their salaries diminished.
“Our workers even provided to have a discount of their salaries if wanted to climate the storm along with KEK Seafood. It’s a key achievement for our household enterprise”, he provides.
Working collectively as a household, the tech savvy KEK Seafood in the end pivoted methods through the use of on-line platforms like Oddle and Seize that present islandwide supply. Additionally they learnt easy methods to streamline their menu and operations to enrich their supply course of.
“Although enterprise is again to regular with dine-in, our supply income stands about 10 per cent, in comparison with pre-Covid [times], which was lower than 3 per cent”, Paul highlights.
Drawing from these experiences, Paul notes that one other issue pulling them by way of these hardships and preserving them related for greater than 50 years was their communication with their clients.
Expertise development has allowed us to get suggestions on-line, perceive the altering preferences of diners by way of social media, however our in-person communication with clients at KEK Seafood has been the identical since day one.
With trustworthy suggestions from current, common or new clients, we pay attention and work out on how we will enhance. If it’s at the moment past our capability, we preserve it in thoughts and work in the direction of it.
– Paul Liew, managing director of KEK Seafood
Opening a second outlet in S’pore
Being resilient third generational homeowners of the household enterprise, KEK Seafood has grown to better heights, resembling being featured within the Michelin Plate from 2016 to 2022, The World 50 Finest Restaurant: Essence of Asia 2021, and Netflix: Avenue Meals Asia Singapore.
One other milestone to have fun is KEK Seafood’s latest outlet opening within the east facet of Singapore at SAFRA Tampines on September 9.
In comparison with their Alexandra outlet that gives an air-conditioned sitting space with 5 tables and is normally booked out, this air-conditioned outlet in Tampines can cater as much as a complete of 120 diners.
Diners can sit up for 5 newly launched, unique dishes to have fun the opening of the outlet as effectively. Two of the brand new dishes — their all-time signature Claypot Pig Liver and Claypot Duck with Sea Cucumber — can be given a contact of how Paul’s household enjoys it.
Sooner or later, KEK Seafood plans to concentrate on being financially secure to arrange themselves for potential crises just like the pandemic as a way to be dependable pillars of assist for his or her workers and their households.
Featured picture credit score: KEK Seafood
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