Research report

Taylor’s University I SABD I FNBE 0115/0815 I English 2 I Research Report

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SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE, BUILDING AND DESIGN

FOUNDATION IN NATURAL BUILD ENVIRONMENT

PRESENTATION TITLE: Comparison of Porridge Business in Melaka and Klang Valley

GROUP MEMBERS:

Names Presentation / Research Report Roles.

Cherilyn Chia Qiao Xin (0321986) Compilation, about the trade, description of businesses, interview questions & answers

Chan Yi Fung (0323057) History of rice porridge, nature of market, comparative analysis, appendices

Chin Shee Wei (0322499) Hon Kee’s competitors, summary table, comparative analysis, presentation slides

Kok Xuan Ying (0322929) Key summary, recommendation, presentation slides

Soo Yon Li (0322821) Long Fatt’s competitors, comparative analysis, conclusion

Yang Jing Loo (0323066) Comparative analysis, minutes of the meeting, artistic cover, video editing

ENGLISH 2 (ELG 30605)

LECTURER: CASSANDRA WIJESURIA

SUBMISSION & PRESENTATION DATE: 25th November 2015


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TABLE OF CONTENTS

No. Title Page Number

1 Artistic Cover 1

2 Cover Page 2

3 Table of Content 3

4 Key Summary 4

5 Research Report

i. History of the Trade

ii. Description of the Businesses - Long Fatt Teochew Porridge

- Hon Kee Famous Porridge

iii. Comparative Analysis

5-7

8-17

18-23

6 Recommendations 24-25

7 Appendices 26-44

8 Bibliography 45

9 References 46


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Key Summary

Placed into a group of six people, we are required to study and compare two

businesses of similar industry in different geographical locations, one in Klang Valley

and another in Malacca. Our group had selected to analyse porridge industry and the

chosen businesses are Long Fatt Teochew Porridge in Malacca and Hon Kee

Famous Porridge in Petaling Street. Both businesses have three-generations-history

but the type of porridge sold are different. The nature of their market, pricing,

customers, competitors and marketing strategies differ to one another.

Methodology

Preliminary research

Brief research on the background of the chosen industry and businesses were done

through printed materials and internet. This is done to obtain the general information

on the topic and to prepare an effective interview questions for each business.

Data Collection

Face-to-face interviews were conducted with both the third-generation owner of the

respective business during our visits to the shops, equipped with necessities such as

a camera for video recording and taking pictures, mobile phone for additional voice

recording and interview questions.

Data Analysis

After completing the interview and research from secondary sources specifically

books and internet, the data were further analysed, tabulated and arranged

accordingly. Each group members work on a certain sub-topics and compiled

together later on. Lastly, the report were edited as a whole to ensure that it contained

the most accurate data and error free.


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History of Rice Porridge

Rice Porridge, also knowng as congee, is famous among the Asian countries.

The famous Yellow Emperor (Huang Ti), is the first person that cooked porridge with

millet as the ingredient. It is the earliest porridge recorded in history. In China history,

porridge was served as breakfast, lunch and dinner depending on the family’s

income. Porridge is suitable for breakfast and late supper as it is a very light food. It

can be produced in a large quantity with small amount of rice. Low income families

have porridge for lunch and dinner, while medium and high income family have rice

instead of porridge.

Han Chinese came to Malacca in the early 15th century until the 1990s. The

culture of eating rice porridge was brought in when the third wave of Chinese

migrated here to work in mines and rubber estates.

In Malaysia, rice porridge is usually rice boiled with chicken stock and served

with chicken slice, century egg, and other side dishes. Porridge is rice boiled with

water for hours and with additional ingredients depending on one’s personal flavour.

Examples of these ingredients include chicken slices, seafood, minced pork, century

egg and salted egg.

There are numerous types of porridge cooking style, mainly Cantonese and

Teo Chew.


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The Cantonese style rice porridge is the most common in Malaysia.

Cantonese rice porridge called “Chog”. Cantonese rice porridge can be found in

Chinese restaurant “zhao lau”, Dim Sum restaurants and Chinese hawker centre.

There are three common cooking style of Cantonese rice porridge, which are boiling,

Dayton and steaming (steam rice porridge are rare to find). Cantonese rice porridge

are thicker in form compared to others. The Cantonese rice porridge we usually eat

is boiled with chicken stock and other ingredients. Dayton rice porridge can only be

found in Cantonese restaurant as it takes hours to cook. Cantonese rice porridge are

usually serve with dough, also known as “you tiao”.

Teo Chew rice porridge comes with numerous side dishes. The Teo Chew

rice porridge are simpler in terms of rice porridge. Teo Chew rice porridge looks like

a mixture of rice and water. The shape of the rice is visible in Teo Chew porridge.

Some porridges might contain sweet potato to make the porridge taste sweet. The

side dishes for Teo Chew rice porridge mainly consists of braised dishes such as

duck, pork (organ), egg, tofu. The soy sauce for braised dishes contain spices like

galangal, ginger, garlic cloves, cinnamon stick and star anises. They are also served

with pan fried fish, salted vegetables, spicy lala, etc.


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About the Trade

Porridge act as a commercial Chinese food in Malaysia. Even though it is

more associated with Teochew, different types of porridge are found to be brought in

by different varieties of Chinese, such as Cantonese, Foochow, Hokkien and etc.

As rice is the most important staple food in Malaysia, rice porridge becomes

popular as it is particularly suitable for the sick as a mild, easily digestible food. The

porridge business started out in Malaysia to be served as breakfast or late supper.

The importance and popularity of porridge in the Malaysian diet causes the growth of

the porridge business in Malaysia.

Currently, there are more than hundreds of porridge businesses in the

country, including individual stalls and even commercial shops. Chain restaurants

such as Porridge Time and Mother Porridge are also found operating in many

places. With the increasing number of porridge businesses in the country, many

competitions are created. This in turn increases the varieties of porridge dishes

available and also encourages the involvement of other ethnics into the business.


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Long Fatt Teochew Porridge

Location: 15, Jalan Kampung Pantai, 75200 Melaka.

Long Fatt Teochew Porridge was founded in 1930 by Mr Lim Lee Tai’s, the

current owner’s grandfather. The name ‘Long Fatt’ itself has an auspicious meaning,

where ‘Long’ in Chinese character means dragon while ‘Fatt’ means prosperity. Mr

Lim’s grandfather started this business to earn a living and support his family. The

concept of this business is to serve simple, homemade dishes to their customers.

Throughout the years, this business had changed a little here and there as

there were renovation done on the current shop back in 1971. Cooking by using the

usage of charcoal had changed to gas as well and back then, they used to serve

braised duck dish from live ducks and cook live bulls on the spot, utilising the

freshness of those ingredients. Now, they could not serve those dishes anymore as

they could not obtain fresh ingredients. The ingredients sold nowadays could not be

served to customers as the taste is different.

Long Fatt Teochew Porridge does not have any branches as it will be difficult

to maintain the quality and taste of food in the branch. Besides, the concept of

cooking varies for each person. In order to maintain the taste, they need to have

consistency in their cooking. The ingredients also differ depending on the supply.


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The cooking time needs to be flexible and changes according to the quality of the

raw ingredients.

There are a total of 5 employees involved in the business and most of them

are made up of family members. As the business still maintained its traditional

operating practice, a worker have to be in charge of a few duties each day, such as

buying fresh raw ingredients from the suppliers, cooking and serving.

The dishes sold includes salted vegetables, sardine fish, dried prawns, dried

anchovies and etc. Most of the dishes would be ready by 11am and it would be sold

out by 1.30pm. There are lesser dishes served before 11am as they are cooked and

served one after another. Estimated 200 customers visited the Long Fatt Teochew

Porridge daily. The number of customers are consistent as 70% of them are local

regular customers who dine here on weekly basis.


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Hon Kee Famous Porridge

Location: 93, Jalan Hang Lekir, Sri Petaling, 50000 Kuala Lumpur.

Hon Kee Famous Porridge was established in 1949 by Mr Wong Poon Wai.

Originated from China, he opened this porridge business for livelihood purposes.

Although he started the business with only a small stall, the business grew into it

current form after several years. Currently, Hon Kee Famous Porridge own 2

branches in Lot 10 and SS2, Petaling Jaya. There are around 30 employees in total.

Some of them are family members but most are hired employees.

Now, Mrs Lee, the granddaughter of Mr Wong, is in charge of the business in

Petaling Street while her brother manage the other branches. Her involvement in the

business is to continue maintaining her family business as it has been around for

more than half a century.

The dishes available include raw fish porridge, frog meat porridge, chee

cheong fun and more. The business start at 4am and ends around 2.30pm every

day. An estimation of 250 customers dine here daily and it doubles up during

holidays and festivals. The first batch customers are those who visit fir a supper after

their karaoke and night clubbing session. Later on, it will be students who came for

breakfast before class starts, as there are schools nearby followed by offices crowd

whereas most tourist will visit during lunch hour.


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List of Competitors - Long Fatt Teo Chew Porridge Restaurant

Res Porridge House

These are the few signature dishes by Res Porridge House

Figure 1 shows picture on the left is called the “Red Potato Porridge”. It’s very simple which it only contains congee and a carrot.

Figure 1

Figure 1.1 shows the “Sausage Fried Rice”. This is a dish with spice because they put in the chilli together with the egg, rice and sausage.

Figure 1.1

This picture above shows the outside of the restaurant named Restaurant Res Porridge House.

- Was owned by Mr Mai and his family

- Located in Taman Melaka Raya, Malacca

- Has operated since the year 1997

- A cooking experience about 25 years by Mr Mai

- He was interviewed in 2007 by a local reporter about this restaurant


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Restaurant Chop Sam Guan

These are the famous dishes by Restaurant Chop Sam Guan

Figure 1.2 is one of the best dishes which is called the “Ginger and Onion Fish Slices”. Many customers gave good reviews about this dish.

Figure 1.2

Figure 1.3 is the dish that maintain the business of this restaurant. Many customers who ordered this style of porridge gave a positive review about it. It is called the “Shredded Chicken Porridge”

Figure 1.3

Figure 2 shows the surroundings of the restaurant. It is obvious that the style of the shops are quite unique, so that we can know that these shop lots are there around 30-40 years ago.

Figure 1

Figure 2.1 shows the restaurants signature congee. In this picture, we can see that the congee only contains sweet potato and the congee itself. The sweet potatoes are soft because it was boiled at suitable temperature and it is used for a flavour to the congee.

Figure 2.1


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Figure 2.3 shows a greenish vegetables on which was called the “Lightly Fried Kangkung” with minced pork. It is also known as water spinach or also known as morning glory at Thai eateries.

Figure 2.2 is a picture of the restaurant's signature dish which is called "Kiam Chye", meaning salted vegetables.

Figure 2.2

Figure 2.3

Figure 2.4

Figure 2.4 shows the asam fish created by the owners of this restaurant. One of the reasons they created this food is because they thought about the diversity of food as well as the openness of Malaysian people to the foods.

Figure 2.5 is one favourite food by customers. This dish is frequently ordered by customers too. It is called the "Oyster Sauce Chicken". Customers tend to leave nothing on the plate when they are going to leave.

Figure 2.5

Figure 2.6

Figure 2.6 is the traditional dish called "Steamed Minced Pork with Salted Egg"


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Restaurant Congee Rice Noodles

Several delicious dishes can be found in this restaurant which will be mentioned below

Figure 3 shows the exterior of Restaurant Congee Rice Noodles. It is located on the second floor. The restaurant is located near Res Porridge House.

Figure 3

Figure 3.1

Figure 3.1 shows the famous type of congee. The ingredients are made up of prawns, squids and crab meat.

Figure 3.2

Figure 3.2 is a picture of its signature dish which is the “Curry Fish Head”. They use their traditional recipes and spices for the dish.


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Figure 3.3 is a green dish called the “Four Heavenly Kings”. It is one of the most popular vegetable dishes in the restaurant.

Figure 3.3

Figure 3.4

Figure 3.4 shows a dish with dark sauced pork, called the “Tung Por Pork”. The bun at the side is used to eat with the pork.

Figure 3.5

Figure 3.5 shows one of Malacca’s traditional food, called “Nyonya Chang”. It is made out of sticky and chewy rice.


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List of Competitors – Hon Kee Porridge Restaurant

Kim Lian Kee Chee Cheong Fun

Loa Yau Kee Porridge

Located next to Restaurant Hon Kee

Porridge.

Sells Cantonese styled dishes

The stall is run by a friendly aunty who took

over the business from her father.

The stall is hidden inside the street so

people may miss it while walking along the

street

Famous for Chee Cheong Fun, but also

serve Ba Bou Porridge

The stall also sells

pork intestine

porridge.

One of the oldest Chinese porridge stalls in

Petaling Street with several decades of

history.

Situated in front of Soong Kee Beef Ball

Noodle Shop

Traditional white plain porridge served with

freshly-prepared side dishes.

Types of side dishes for porridge:

-Mouth-watering Chicken

-Pork Intestines

-Sliced Raw Fish

-Minced Pork Ball.

Porridge with freshly-prepared side dishes.

Reasonable price


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Fong Wah Teochew Porridge

Sells Teochew styled dishes

Gruel type porridge served

with a variety of dishes such

as Pork, Century Eggs,

Salted Fish, Salted Eggs,

Salted Vegetables, etc.

Self-service business

Expensive prices


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Nature of Market

Long Fatt Teo Chew Porridge Restaurant

The nature of market for Long Fatt Teo Chew Porridge is Monopolistic Competition.

Even though the restaurant only have a few competitors but the other characteristics

of it is very similar to the economics concept Monopolistic Competition. Besides, the

barrier to entry is weak, causing the other firms to enter and exit the market easily.

Long Fatt Teo Chew Porridge sells a lot of differentiated side dishes and is weak at

their pricing power.

Hon Kee Porridge Restaurant

The nature of market for Hon Kee Porridge Restaurant is Monopolistic Competition

due to its surrounding competitions. This market is represented by a fairly large

number of firms but not more than 100. The pricing for Hon Kee Porridge Restaurant

is a little bit higher compared to the other competitors due to its fresh ingredients.

Hon Kee Porridge Restaurant did not charge a very high price due to the intense

competition it has and therefore the pricing for Hon Kee Porridge Restaurant is

weak. The Barrier to entry of this market is weak as well. The restaurant also sells

several differentiated product.


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Comparative Analysis of the Businesses’ Competitive Traits

Restaurant Long Fatt Teo Chew

Porridge

Restaurant Hon Kee Porridge

3 Number of

competitors 4

Affordable & cheaper than average restaurants - Lots of villagers nearby like to

visit them

Promotions during festivals - Chinese New Year - Deepavali - Hari Raya - Christmas

Pricing Sells at market price but slightly higher than the competitors’ price - Competitors sell normal porridge

at RM4, they sell at RM4.20

Reasonable & affordable - Main reason was the amount of

period they have been operating.

Non-verbal communication

Mass communication - Internet - Radio - Newspaper

Advertisement Mass communication - Have a Facebook page - Blog

Use verbal communication to advertise - Giving out flyers to the people and

promote

Mixed braised pork - Fried & stew pork

Salted vegetables - Fermented vegetables using salt

Pan-fried fish - Put a few fishes to fry instead of

a lot of fish

Signature Dish Raw fish porridge - Cook raw fish by stirring in hot

porridge

Chee Cheong Fun - Rice noodle roll

Frog meat porridge - Use only fresh frog meat

Served with hygiene - Before cutting vegetables and

meat, they wash their hands and wear new plastic gloves

Fast & efficient - Never slack when working &

serve dishes once cooked

Quality of Services All ingredients bought are freshly prepared - Frog meat - Fish - Pork

Customers are able to have a view of the preparation of food after ordering - Tables & chairs are set up near the

kitchen

Verbal communication - Used when asking about the

amount of porridge ordered by the customers

Communication Most employees speak different types of languages, therefore it is easier to communicate with the customers - Mandarin


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Face-to-face communication - Asking for the customers’

desired side dishes

Different languages can be used to approach the customers - English - Mandarin - Dialects : Hokkien, Cantonese,

Teochew

- English - Malay - Dialects : Cantonese

Face-to-face communication - Telling the available dishes to the

customers

Verbal communication - Guide customers who wanted to

visit their restaurant

Weak

- Doesn’t need licence approver

from the government

- Doesn’t need high capital

Barrier to Entry Weak

- Doesn’t need licence approver

from the government

- Doesn’t need high capital

Less customers - Probably friends and families are

the only customers for the first few weeks

Lack of trust - Recently operated

Loss at the end of the month - Not enough money to cover

their costs

Obstacles faced by

new businesses

Lack of customers - Stronger competition with the

older restaurants - Expensive meals

Make a loss instead of profit by the end of the month - Due to lack of customers

Insufficient trust gained by customers - Started the business not long ago

Differentiated Products

- Mixed braised Pork

- Pan Fried Fish

Salted Vegetable

Differentiated or

Standardized Products

Differentiated Products

- Chee Cheong Fun

Chicken Rice

Price Taker

- Must follow the market price

If the firm rise the price the firm will lose its customer

Pricing Power Price Taker

- Must follow the market price

If the firm rise the price the firm will lose its customer

Mutual Dependence

Constant advertising

- Magazines

- Newspapers

- Webpage

Substitutes

- Restaurant Chop Chung Wah

Other Characteristics Mutual Dependence

Constant advertising

- Magazines

- Newspapers

- Facebook

Substitutes

- Restaurant Kun Kee


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- Restaurant Teo Chew Bak Kut

The

- Restaurant Tuk Tuk Kitchen &

Bar

- Restaurant Jonker 88

- Baba Freds Nyonya Restaurant

- Restaurant Kopitiam Petaling

Street

- China Town Food Paradise

Monopolistic competition - Only few competitors - Easy to enter this type of market

Nature of Market Monopolistic competition - Only few competitors - Easy to enter this type of market


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Summary Table of the Differences between Both Businesses

Long Fatt Teochew Porridge Differences Hon Kee Porridge

Restaurant

1930 When it was Founded 1949

Current boss, Mr. Lim Lee Tai’s

Grandfather

Founder Mr. Wong Poon Wai

15, Jalan Kampung Pantai,

75200 Melaka

Location 93, Jalan Hang Lekir,

Sri Petaling,

50000 Kuala Lumpur

- Number of Branches 3

5 Number of Employees 30

200 Number of Customers 500

70% of Local Regular

Customers

Who are the Customers First Batch: Those who

finished their Karaoke and

night clubbing for supper.

Second Batch: Students from

nearby school for breakfast

before their classes start.

Third Batch: Those office

crowd / Tourists

2 Number of Competitors 4

11.30am-1.30pm Business Hours 4.00am-2.30pm

Porridge, Salted Vegetables,

Dried Prawn, Dried Anchovies

and etc.

Type of Products Porridge, Chee Cheong Fun

Serve Simple, Homemade

Dishes

Strategy Freshly-prepared with the

ingredients

Home Business Operation Commercial

Summary Table of the Similarities between Both Businesses

Long Fatt Teochew

Porridge

Similarities Hon Kee Porridge

Restaurant

Porridge Main Product Sold Porridge

1 Number of Founder 1

For livelihood purposes Prompted to Start this

Business

For livelihood purposes

Lead by the Owner Leader Lead by the Owner


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Conclusion

Which business is more commercially successful? And why?

According to the aforementioned analysis, the business which is more

commercially successful will be Restaurant Hon Kee Famous Porridge operated by

Mrs Lee. This is because Hon Kee Famous Porridge has several branches and are

more likely to earn a greater turnover in a year compared to Long Fatt Teochew

Porridge, operated by Mr Lim which does not own any branch. By having branches,

the business could earn more in a shorter time. The market size in terms of

customers is also bigger by having outlets.

Besides that, Hon Kee Famous Porridge hire younger workers so they are

more efficient. In comparison, Long Fatt Teochew Porridge is managed by family

members and most of them are middle-aged so they are not as efficient as the

younger generation.

Last but not least, Hon Kee Famous Porridge is more commercially

successful as they advertises their business more through different medias such as

magazines, newspapers, social medias and flyers. Conversely, Long Fatt Teochew

Porridge does not publicize their business much, solely depending on reviews and

recommendations.


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Recommendation

Based on our analysis on Long Fatt Teochew Porridge and Hon Kee Famous

Porridge, these are the recommendations we propose to improve their businesses’

competitiveness.

Both businesses had been around for more than half a decade so both

owners should keep detailed records of their business history. Based on the

interviews that we have conducted, the current owners does not have specific

knowledge of their own business history which is important for the future

development of the business.

Although both of the businesses are pioneers in porridge industry, they should

analyse their competitors. By analysing their competitors, they will get a better

insight of them as well as where their business stands at in the market.

Long Fatt Teochew Porridge

Areas for Improvement

(current situations) Recommendations

Inefficient services Owner should consider hiring a few more employees

instead of just depending on family members to run

the business. During peak hours, the services are

slower as the work load is too much t o be handled by

the current employees available.

Stagnant expansion of

branches

Owner should consider opening one or more branches

so that it is easier for the customers to try out their

Teochew style porridge which is unique and this will

increase the business turnover and customers not only

in Malacca.

Lack of online advertising Owner should create an official website or Facebook

page so that it is easier for people to find their

information online as the community nowadays are

driven by Internet.


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Hon Kee Famous Porridge

Areas for Improvement

(current situations) Recommendations

Cramped and unhygienic

environment

Owner should refurbish their shop to a more effective

layout so that it will be more spacious. Refurbishment

is needed as the shop itself is old so it is unavoidable

that it appear dirty and unpleasant.

Inefficient call services Owner should improve on their call services as the

one available now is inefficient as it takes several

times for us to contact them and their responses are

rather slow. This will cause customers to lose interest

towards them.


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APPENDICES

Interview Questions

1) When was the business founded? How many years of history does the business have?

2) Who is the key founder of the business?

3) Where does the business name came from?

4) What prompted (motivates) the founders to start this business?

5) Can you provide us a brief history of your business and its most recent developments?

6) Generally, do you feel it is easy or hard to enter this market? Why?

7) How much capital is required to start this business? What, if any, specialized field of

knowledge do you need to run this business?

8) What are your main products?

9) Who are your customers?

10) What is the estimated number of customers who visit your business daily/monthly?

11) What is the business’ annual revenue figure?

12) How many branch offices/stores and employees do you have?

13) Will there be more customers during festive seasons?

14) Do you have many competitors? Who are they? Who are your top 3 competitors?

15) Is the business constantly facing strong competition from other competitors? What

strategies have they used to compete with you?

16) How often do you release a new product?

17) Are your pricing decisions and when to release new product strongly affected by your

competitors?

18) What is the future plan for your business? Opening more branch? Advertising?


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Interview with Hon Kee (Answered) Petaling Street Famous Porridge


The business was founded in 1949. It has 66 years of history.

2) Who is the key founder of this business?

My grandfather, Wong Poon Wai is the only founder of the restaurant.


I don’t really know how my grandfather came up with this name. I guess it was a name which

popped up in his mind then.

4) What prompted (motivated) the founders to start this business?

Back then, my grandfather started this business to earn a living and support the family’s

expenses. He thought of using his cooking skills learnt in China to start a restaurant business.

5) Can you provide us a brief history of your business and its most recent

developments?

The business started as a small stall in 1949. Then it grew into a restaurant, which is the

existing one here. My brother did opened a few branches these few years.


I think it was quite easy to enter this market since there were less shops last time.



I’m not sure how much is needed, but I guess it’s not too much as the pricing of the raw

ingredients last time was not high. Some of the things I had to know to run the business were

the analysis of the market and the technique to maintain the food quality.


We sell a variety of porridge and chee cheong fun. The significant ones are the raw fish

porridge, frog leg porridge and the chee cheong fun.


My customers were made up of students from the nearby schools, office crowds and tourists.


The average number of customers we had was around 500 per day.


I’m sorry but I don’t think it would be appropriate to disclose the amount to you.


We had 2 branches and about 30 employees in total.


Yes, of course. Our business would double up during festive seasons and also the weekends.


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We do have a few competitors in this area, mainly the Loa Yau Kee porridge, Fong Wah

Teochew porridge and Kim Lian Kee that also sells porridge.

15) Is the business constantly facing strong competitions from other competitors? What


We did face competitions from other competitors. Since some of the competitors sell less

choices of porridge, their prices are slightly lower than us.


Special deals or products are only available on weekends.

17) Are your pricing decisions and the time to release a new product strongly affected

by your competitors?

Not really, as our pricings were quite reasonable.

18) What is the future plan for your business? Opening more branch? Advertising?

I’m not sure whether my children would want to take over the business, but I’m currently

training the workers to handle the business. We already had advertisings through the internet

and most of our customers spread our business through the word of mouth.


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Interview with Long Fatt (Answered) Melaka Famous Teochew Porridge


The business was founded in 1930. It has 85 years of history.

2) Who is the key founder of this business?

My grandfather is the sole founder of the restaurant.


My grandfather named it that way as it had an auspicious meaning to it. The ‘Long’ in

Chinese character means dragon while the ‘Fatt’ means prosperity.

4) What prompted (motivated) the founder/s to start this business?

My grandfather started this business for livelihood purpose.

5) Can you provide us a brief history of your business and its most recent

developments?

The business started as a shop here in 1930. Then, we renovated the shop in 1971. Last time,

we had braised duck dishes and live goose being served in the restaurant. Now, we don’t

serve these dishes as we couldn’t get fresh supply of ducks and geese. We also used to use

charcoal to cook our dishes, but we changed to using gas later on.


I think it was quite easy to enter this market as it was quite demanding and there are only a

few simple, home cooked businesses left.



I’m not sure how much capital was required. For me, I think some of the most important

knowledge I had to know are the techniques to maintain the taste of the food and overcome

the problems of different quality of raw ingredients.


We sell porridge and rice with side dishes such as salted vegetable, sardine fish, dried

prawns, dried anchovies, etc.


My customers were made up tourists and the locals.


We had around 200 customers per day.


Now, we earn less, around RM6000 to RM7000 monthly.


We do not have any branches and we have only 5 workers.


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Yes. Even so, our restaurant is normally closed during major holidays as we couldn’t meet up

with our suppliers. We depend on them on a daily basis to obtain fresh ingredients.


Not really, but there are a few porridge restaurants around the town area. We had less

competitors as it was difficult to maintain the taste of the food. It also requires experience to

overcome the problems of different quality of raw materials.

15) Is the business constantly facing strong competitions from other competitors? What


Nope. I’m not so sure about that.


We seldom come out with new products as our aim is to maintain our quality of food.

17) Are your pricing decisions and the time to release a new product strongly affected

by your competitors?

No. This was because our foods’ pricings are considered cheap and affordable. The pricing

for each dish is RM0.70, while a bowl of rice or porridge costs RM0.70.

18) What is the future plan for your business? Opening more branch? Advertising

I plan to hand over my business to my son. If my son takes over, I hope he can improve our business’

operation by increasing the number of workers in order to run the business more effectively.


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MINUTES OF THE MEETING

DATE: 20th October 2015

TIME: 11.30 am – 12.40 pm

VENUE: E3.08

NAMES OF GROUP MEMBERS

Chan Yi Fung

Cherilyn Chia

Chin Shee Wei

Kok Xuan Ying

Soo Yon Li

Yang Jing Loo

Selection of places to visit

NO. ACTIVITY ACTION TAKEN BY

1. Discussion

- Suggestions of places to visit

- Decide to study on the businesses

about restaurants

- contact owners for interviews

Chan Yi Fung

Cherilyn Chia

Chin Shee Wei

Kok Xuan Ying

Soo Yon Li

Yang Jing Loo


32


DATE: 30th October 2015

TIME: 2pm – 5pm

VENUE: Jonker Street, Melaka (Restaurant Long Fatt)


Chan Yi Fung

Cherilyn Chia

Soo Yon Li

Yang Jing Loo

Interview


1. Interview at Long Fatt Restaurant

Interviewee: Mr. Lim Lee Tai

Chan Yi Fung

Yang Jing Loo

2. Video taking for interview Soo Yon Li

3. Note taking Cherilyn Chia

4. Study on the competitors nearby Restaurant Long

Fatt

Chan Yi Fung

Cherilyn Chia

Soo Yon Li

Yang Jing Loo


33


DATE: 2nd November 2015

TIME: 2.30 pm – 3.30 pm

VENUE: D3.09


Chan Yi Fung

Cherilyn Chia

Chin Shee Wei (online)

Kok Xuan Ying (online)

Soo Yon Li

Yang Jing Loo

Distribution of work (Report)

NO. ACTIVITY ACTION TAKEN

BY

1. - General information on the history of porridge

business.

- Cover page

- Table of content

Chan Yi Fung

2. - Brief description of 2 businesses

- Interview questions

Cherilyn Chia

3. - (Question 1-5) Analysis of the businesses

(Restaurant Hon Kee Porridge) competitive traits

- Slideshow

Chin Shee Wei

4. - Recommendation for Restaurant Long Fatt and

Restaurant Hon Kee Porridge

- Key summary

- Slideshow

Kok Xuan Ying

5. - (Question 1-5): Analysis of the businesses

(Restaurant Long Fatt) competitive traits

- (Question 6-7): Analysis of the businesses

(Restaurant Long Fatt and Restaurant Hon Kee

Porridge) competitive traits

Soo Yon Li

6. - Video editing

- Artistic cover

- Appendices (minutes of meeting)

Yang Jing Loo


34


DATE: 11th November 2015

TIME: 12.30 pm – 2.30 pm

VENUE: Petaling street. (Restaurant Hon Kee Porridge)


Chan Yi Fung

Cherilyn Chia

Kok Xuan Ying

Soo Yon Li

Interview


1. Interview at Restaurant Hon Kee Porridge

Interviewee: Mrs. Lee

Kok Xuan Ying

Chan Yi Fung

2. Video taking for interview Soo Yon Li

3. Note taking Cherilyn Chia

Kok Xuan Ying

4. Study on the competitors nearby Restaurant

Hon Kee Porridge

Cherilyn Chia

Chan Yi Fung

Kok Xuan Ying

Soo Yon Li


35


DATE: 16th November 2015

TIME: 3 pm – 5 pm

VENUE: D8.16


Chan Yi Fung

Cherilyn Chia

Chin Shee Wei

Kok Xuan Ying

Soo Yon Li

Yang Jing Loo

Reconfirmation on the report compilation


1. Discussion on the format of report and

presentation slides

Chan Yi Fung

Cherilyn Chia

Chin Shee Wei

Kok Xuan Ying

Soo Yon Li

Yang Jing Loo

2. Ideas recommendation on the content of

report

Cherilyn Chia

Chin Shee Wei

Kok Xuan Ying

3. Video compilation Chan Yi Fung

Soo Yon Li

Yang Jing Loo


36

Restaurant Long Fatt Teo Chew Porridge

Date: 31-10-2015 Saturday

Time: 2.30p.m – 3.30p.m

Location: Restaurant Long Fatt Teo Chew Porridge

Interview Notes

Long Fatt Restaurant sign board


37

Serving table of Long Fatt Restaurant

Group Photo with the Owner


38

Facebook page of Long Fatt Teo Chew Porridge

Business Details

Business Owner: Mr Lim Lee Tai

Location: No. 15, Jalan Kampung Pantai 75200 Melaka

Contact Number: 6019-364 6682

Business Hours: 8.30am – 3.00pm Closed on Sundays and public holidays

Website: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Long-Fatt-Teo-Chew-

Porridge/180637345343800?fref=ts

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Long-Fatt-Teo-Chew-Porridge/180637345343800?fref=ts

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Long-Fatt-Teo-Chew-Porridge/180637345343800?fref=ts


39

Hon Kee Porridge Restaurant, Petaling Street

Date: 10-11-2015

Time: 11p.m - 1p.m

Location: Restaurant Hon Kee Porridge Petaling Street

Interview Notes

Group photo with Hon Kee Porridge Restaurant, Petaling Street

Group photo with the owner The kitchen and sign board


40

Facebook page of Hon Kee Porridge Restaurant

Business Details

Business Owner: Mdm Lau Chui Lai

Location: 93 Jalan Hang Lekir Kuala Lumpur 50000

Contact Number: 012-227 6281

Business hours: Mon-Fri, 10am-10pm; Sat-Sun, 8am-10pm

Website: https://www.facebook.com/honkeeporridge/

https://www.facebook.com/honkeeporridge/


41

Presentation Slides


42


43


44


45

Bibliography

* 2.0, N., Malaysia, R., House, H., Chopsticks, W., & BSG, t. (2007). Chinese

Porridge Recipe (Congee with Dried Oysters and Chicken Recipe) | Easy Delicious

Recipes: Rasa Malaysia. Rasa Malaysia. Retrieved 20 November 2015, from

http://rasamalaysia.com/chinese-porridge-with-dried-oysters-and/

* Food.malaysiamostwanted.com, (2015). Porridge Restaurants in Malaysia.

Retrieved 18 November 2015, from http://food.malaysiamostwanted.com/photo-

tags/porridge

* Kaleidoscope.cultural-china.com, (2015). Porridge - China culture. Retrieved 15

November 2015, from http://kaleidoscope.cultural-

china.com/en/8Kaleidoscope48.html

* Travelchinaguide.com, (2015). Chinese Laba Festival, Rice Porridge. Retrieved 15

November 2015, from http://www.travelchinaguide.com/essential/holidays/laba.htm


46

References

i'm saimatkong,. (2014). Chee Cheong Fun è±¬è…¸ç²‰ @ Petaling Street èŒ¨å» è¡— (Chinatown) - i'm saimatkong. Retrieved 19 November 2015, from http://blog.saimatkong.com/food-beverage/chee-cheong-fun-%E8%B1%AC%E8%85%B8%E7%B2%89-petaling-street-%E8%8C%A8%E5%BB%A0%E8%A1%97-chinatown/

Malaysia Food & Travel Blog,. (2009). Melaka Food | Jonker 88 Desserts @ Jonker Street - Cendol & Ais Kacang - Malaysia Food & Travel Blog. Retrieved 22 November 2015, from http://www.vkeong.com/2009/03/melaka-food-jonker-88-desserts-jonker-street-cendol-ais-kacang/

Melaka Top 3: Recommended Jonket Street Food,. (2015). Recommended Jonket Street Food. Retrieved 17 November 2015, from http://www.melaka3.com/2012/04/recommended-jonket-street-food.html

OpenRice Malaysia,. (2015). 10 Best Chinese Porridges in KL & PJ | OpenRice Malaysia. Retrieved 17 November 2015, from http://my.openrice.com/klangvalley/article/10-best-chinese-porridges-in-kl-pj/788

Porridge, F. (2015). Fong Wah Teochew Porridge @ Off Jalan Pudu - Malaysia Food & Restaurant Reviews. Food.malaysiamostwanted.com. Retrieved 21 November 2015, from http://food.malaysiamostwanted.com/venues/fong-wah-teochew-porridge-changkat-thambi-dollah-off-jalan-pudu

Seabury, C. (2008). 9 Tips For Growing A Successful Business. Investopedia. Retrieved 23 November 2015, from http://www.investopedia.com/articles/pf/08/make-money-in-business.asp

Tripadvisor.com.my,. (2015). Fong Wah Teochew Porridge, Kuala Lumpur - Restaurant Reviews, Phone Number & Photos - TripAdvisor. Retrieved 20 November 2015, from https://www.tripadvisor.com.my/Restaurant_Review-g298570-d1205048-Reviews-Fong_Wah_Teochew_Porridge-Kuala_Lumpur_Wilayah_Persekutuan.html

Teochew Braised Duck or Lor Ark (潮州卤鸭） | GUAI SHU SHU. (n.d.). Retrieved

18 November 2015, from https://kwgls.wordpress.com/2014/10/08/teochew-braised-duck-or-lor-ark-%E6%BD%AE%E5%B7%9E%E5%8D%A4%E9%B8%AD%EF%BC%89/

Ancient World History: Yellow Emperor (Huangdi, or Huang Ti). (n.d.). Retrieved 14 November 2015, from http://earlyworldhistory.blogspot.my/2012/01/yellow-emperor-huangdi-or-huang-ti.html

Porridge - China culture. (n.d.). Retrieved 13 November 2015, from http://kaleidoscope.cultural-china.com/en/8Kaleidoscope48.html

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http://blog.saimatkong.com/food-beverage/chee-cheong-fun-%E8%B1%AC%E8%85%B8%E7%B2%89-petaling-street-%E8%8C%A8%E5%BB%A0%E8%A1%97-chinatown/



http://www.vkeong.com/2009/03/melaka-food-jonker-88-desserts-jonker-street-cendol-ais-kacang/

http://www.vkeong.com/2009/03/melaka-food-jonker-88-desserts-jonker-street-cendol-ais-kacang/

http://www.melaka3.com/2012/04/recommended-jonket-street-food.html

http://my.openrice.com/klangvalley/article/10-best-chinese-porridges-in-kl-pj/788

http://food.malaysiamostwanted.com/venues/fong-wah-teochew-porridge-changkat-thambi-dollah-off-jalan-pudu

http://food.malaysiamostwanted.com/venues/fong-wah-teochew-porridge-changkat-thambi-dollah-off-jalan-pudu

http://www.investopedia.com/articles/pf/08/make-money-in-business.asp

https://www.tripadvisor.com.my/Restaurant_Review-g298570-d1205048-Reviews-Fong_Wah_Teochew_Porridge-Kuala_Lumpur_Wilayah_Persekutuan.html



https://kwgls.wordpress.com/2014/10/08/teochew-braised-duck-or-lor-ark-%E6%BD%AE%E5%B7%9E%E5%8D%A4%E9%B8%AD%EF%BC%89/



http://earlyworldhistory.blogspot.my/2012/01/yellow-emperor-huangdi-or-huang-ti.html

http://earlyworldhistory.blogspot.my/2012/01/yellow-emperor-huangdi-or-huang-ti.html

http://kaleidoscope.cultural-china.com/en/8Kaleidoscope48.html

http://thebondingtool.com/2014/07/14/heng-long-teochew-porridge-%E5%85%B4%E9%9A%86%E6%BD%AE%E6%B4%B2%E7%B3%9C/

http://thebondingtool.com/2014/07/14/heng-long-teochew-porridge-%E5%85%B4%E9%9A%86%E6%BD%AE%E6%B4%B2%E7%B3%9C/

Research report

Education