School of Architecture, Building & Design

Foundation In Natural & Natural & Built Environment

Presentation Tittle:
Research Assignment Report (Bak Kut Teh restaurant)
Group Members:
Name

Student ID

Presentation/ Research Report Roles

Angela Wee Kah

Man

0322970

Cha Yun Xian

0322048

Chan Koon Qi

0322000

Description, competitors and

strategy of Teo Chew Bak Kut The,
references.
Description, competitors and
strategy of Kee Heong Bak Kut Teh,
bibliography.
Video

Chia Keh Chian

0322062

Darren Tan Quan

Wen

0322662

Tang Ying Jien

0322357

Grammar checker, compile and

overall report checker.
Key Summary, competitive analysis
summary table, differences and
similarities between both shops,
conclusion and nature of market.
Artistic cover, presentation slides,
history, obstacle, recommendation.

English 2 [ELG 30605]

Lecturer: Cassandra Wijesuria
Submission Date: 26th November 2015

Table of Content
No.

Tittle

Page Number

Key Summary

HIstory of Bak Kut Teh

Brief Description of Teo Chew Bak Kut

Teh
Strategy employed by Teo Chew Bak Kut
Teh
Competitors of Teo Chew Bak Kut Teh

56

10 11

Brief Description of Kee Heong Bak Kut

Teh
Strategy employed by Kee Heong Bak
Kut Teh
Competitors of Kee Heong Bak Kut Teh

Competitive Analysis Summary Table

15 16

10

Summary Table of the similarities

between both business

17

11

Summary Table of the differences

between both business

17

12

Conclusion

18

13

Obstacles faced by new business

19 20

14

Nature of their market

21

15

Recommendation

22

16

Appendices

23 42

17

Bibliography

43

18

Reference

44

4
5
6
7

7
89

12 13
14

Key Summary
This report is a comparative analysis of two Bak Kut Teh businesses
in different geographical locations. The business we have chosen
must be operated for at least 10 years. The selected Bak Kut Teh
restaurants are Teo Chew Bak Kut Teh in Melaka and Kee Heong Bak
Kut Teh from Old Klang. Interviews have been conducted in each of
the respective Bak Kut Teh restaurant in order to obtain further
information from both businesses. The collected information has
been analysed and justified through research carried out with
reliable sources in references. It is concluded that Kee Heong Bak
Kut Teh is more successful than Teo Chew Bak Kut Teh due to greater
number of customers and also good quality dish. Moreover, several
impactful recommendations such as advertising could be undertake
by the businesses in order to improve their competitive edges have
included into the report based on our careful analysis so that the
business could compete in the market with their full potential.

History of Bah Kut Teh

Bak Kut Teh, also known as in Chinese is a very popular
Chinese soup that people in Malaysia and Singapore indulged in it as
a satisfying choice of food. As the name literally translated into
English, Meat Bone Tea, this particular dish does not always start
out as an exciting meal back in the old days.
Bak Kut Teh was believed to have been found when Hokkien
immigrants from China came to Malaysia to find a living. The old
days were hard and the pay was measly, so the immigrants started
to find other sources of food to eat instead of plain white rice. Back
then, the old ports of Klang was famous for importing herbs and
spices, the immigrants that worked there picked up spices that had
fallen from the cargo. They started to add different types of herbs
and spice into a pot of clear water and broth it. Finally, the outcome
of the simple dish was Bah Kut Teh, which the immigrants mixed it
with white rice. Since then, it has become a staple food for workers
as it was cheap to make and was filling for those who worked long
and backbreaking tasks of the day.
Today, as our taste palettes and salaries have increased, the meal
added new components, such as tofu, fried dough, vegetables and
mushrooms. And one of the most important component that crafted
the Bak Kut Teh that enrich itself from the plain soup, was the Pork
Rib meat that enhance the taste of the soup itself. Despite the name
of the dish includes a word, tea, the Bak Kut Teh was not made by
tea, rather than that most of the Bak Kut Teh is served with Chinese
Tea. People believed that tea would help to get rid of the fat that is
found in the meal and the Tea is able to neutralize the alkaline in the
dish. As traditional ways maintain, Bak Kut Teh is still served with
delicious white rice. The modern world also tweaked the white rice
into oily rice, fried onion rice and yam rice to spice up the whole
dish.
This meal started out as a popular breakfast dish, but now you eat
Bak Kut Teh whenever you crave it. The meal is even a popular
lunch for those in a hurry during business hours. So, next time you
are craving Bak Kut Teh, remember this beloved dish has provided
hard workers nourishment for centuries.

Brief Description of Teo Chew Bak Kut Teh

Teo Chew Bah Kut Teh is a famous Bak Kut Teh restaurant in Melaka.
It is located in Jalan Melaka Raya 4, Taman Melaka Raya, Melaka,
Malaysia which is just beside the La Boss Hotel. It is a small but
concentrated food business that sells Teo Chew style herbal pork
dish as its major product, but what make it so special is because of
the soup which has a tad bit different from the other Bak Kut Teh
soup, in the sense that the soup has distinct herbal and black
pepper flavour and is garnished with celery. Everything comes in a
clay pot. Teo Chew Bak Kut Teh restaurant has its loyal customers
gained over the years. It is now run by a couple named Eng Khim
5

Hor and Ng May Ling with the help of their children after the boss,
Mr Engs father, who was the owner of the restaurant which had
passed ago few years ago.
The business was originally founded in the 1980s by Mr Eng Khim
Horis father from just a stall to a restaurant and then handed down
to his children. Mr Engs father taught him how to prepare the Bak
Kut Teh dishes in order to let Mr Eng take order of his business. After
his retirement, Mr. Eng did also teach his sibling how to prepare all
the dishes too. All of them have now owned thier Bak Kut Teh
business with different name in Melaka and Teo Chew Bah Ku Teh
which is now owned by Mr Eng is one of the famous Bak Kut Teh
restaurant in Melaka. It is named Teo Chew Bah Ku Teh because My
Eng family is from Teo Chew dialect.
Teo Chew Bak Kut Teh opens from 7.30 in the morning to 3 oclock in
the afternoon every day, and closes on alternate Monday. Unlike the
other Bak Kut Teh restaurant, Teo Chew Bak Kut Teh only focus on 3
main types of dishes, the Bak Kut Teh, stir fried vegetables and the
marinade pig trotter which serve together with Yu Char Kuew and
yam rice. Although there are only 3 main dishes in Teo Chew Bah Ku
Teh, but all of it is delicious and unique in taste and this make Teo
Chew Bak Kut Teh different from the others.
Bak Kut Teh restaurant includes Mr Engs siblings Bak Kut Teh
restaurant which serve more and different dishes. Besides that, the
idea of focusing only in 3 main dishes is actually Mr Engs idea too,
this is because in order to produce the best taste of his dishes,
focusing only in 3 dishes allow him to keep on improve in his skill.
And this is the reason why the 3 dishes in his restaurant is graded
the best in Melaka by the customers. The food is not prepared in the
kitchen but right in the middle of the shop itself. And the interesting
and unique part of the restaurant is, the boss which is also the cook
would yell non-stop for as long as you are there. Preparing and
cooking takes up maybe 20-30 per cent of the seat layout. And
despite being very helpful for customers to really watch him cook,
the yelling in normal kitchen also comes alive at the shop. Teo Chew
Bak Kut Teh is famous of it soup which has a distinct herbal flavour.
The Bak Kut Teh serves some celery instead of the usual green
lettuce. And some standard ingredients like the assorted pork and
mushrooms. And the pork from the soup and the marinade pig
trotter is tender and falling off the bone. And not to forget the yam
rice which is nicely cooked with small chunks of yam and Yu Char
Kew (fried beard stick), the combination is always perfect.
6

Mr Eng and his wife Ms Ng have put a lot of effort in the restaurant.
As the owners of Teo Chew Bak Kut Teh, they will make sure their
customers receive honest services and best products in order to
maintain the reputation of the business. They will make sure all the
ingredients are fresh. To maintain the traditional taste of the soup,
Mr Eng will always be the one who in charge of preparing all the
dishes. Overall, Teo Chew Bah Kut Teh is a successful, historical and
well-known Bak Kut Teh restaurant that stands up in Melaka.

Strategy employed by Teo Chew Bak Kut Teh

Strategy
Pricing
Service and products
difference

Description
The prices of the food are affordable and
reasonable. They did not raise the prices
and take extra charge of 6% due to GST.
Teo Chew Bak Kut Teh only serves 3
main dishes which is the Bak Kut Teh,
Marinade Pork Trotter and the stir fried
vegetables. All of them are served in
clay pot including the stir-fried
vegetables. The soup has a very distinct
herbal flavor, which serves with celery
instead of lettuce. What are inside the
7

Quality of service

soup to make the Bak Kut Teh so

delicious are the innards, mushrooms,
meatball as well as the thick 3-layer
pork. The pork of the soup and marinade
trotter is tender and falling off the
bones, this makes the pork more
chewable. And for the marinade pork
trotter, the sauce is dense with pig
trotters, streaky pork and mushrooms.
Overall, the Bak Kut Teh is very well
cooked and goes extremely well with a
bowl of yam rice that is nicely cooked
with small chunks of yam together with
the extra side dish such as Yu Char Kew
(fried beard stick).
Teo Chew Bak Kut Teh provides good
services to its customer. Although it is
now very successful and famous, the
boss is still the one who prepares all the
dishes on his own. The workers jobs are
just assisting the boss, cleaning and
passing stuffs. The workers there will
welcome the customers politely while
the lady boss is the one who is in charge
of taking orders. Besides that all of the
dishes are cooked at the middle of the
restaurant but not in a closed kitchen.
Orders come fast and correctly
according to the customers needs.

Competitors of Teo Chew Bak Kut Teh

1

SH Restaurant Bakuteh

Located in Jalan Melaka Raya 14, Taman Melaka Raya, Malacca

Town, 75000, approximately 1km away from Teo Chew Bak Kut Teh,
SH Bak Kut Teh is one of the famous Bak Kut Teh establishments in
Melaka. It is famous for its way of traditional way of preparing the
Bak Kut Teh which is using charcoal. Besides, it also serves more
dishes. For example, ginger wine chicken is one of the most famous
dishes in their menu.

2.Restoran New Tasty Bu Kut Teh

Located in Jalan Melaka Raya 14, Taman Melaka Raya, Malacca

Town, 75000, approximately 1km away from Teo Chew Bah Kut Teh
and just a few block from SH restaurant Bah Kut Teh, New Tasty is
another Bak Kut Teh restaurant in Melaka as it offers a very wide
variety of dishes including the dry clay pot dishes.

Ah Hui Bak Kut Teh

Ah Hui Bak Kut Teh is located in No. 268, Jalan Melaka Raya 3,
Taman Melaka Raya, 75000, Melaka, Melaka, Malaysia,
approximately 300 meter away from Teo Chew Bah Kut Teh. It is one
of the very well known Bak Kut Teh in Melaka. Ah Hui Bak Kut Teh is
a family based business where the company name Ah Hui Bak Kut
Teh is came from the last word of the founder's Chinese name HUI
(). Ah Hui Bak Kut Teh principal is provided the best quality food at
the best taste for all valuable customers. Ah Hui Bak Kut Teh is well
known of their wide variety of dishes especially Special Bak Kut Teh,
Prawn & Squid Sambal, Black Vinegar Trotter and Red Grain Wine
Kidney & Liver. Their food prices are also acceptable.

10

Brief Description of Kee Heong Bak Kut Teh

Kee Heong Bak Kut Teh is one of the well-known Bak Kut Teh
restaurants in Klang which located off Lorong Kawansari 4A in
Taman Eng Ann, with a big red sign over its shop fronts. It is a small
but concentrated food business that sells Hokkien style herbal pork
dish as its major product. With its mouth-watering and traditional
taste of Bak Kut Teh, it has its loyal customers gained over the years
who are willing to come all the way down from other cities just to
have a good and hearty meal. The restaurant is run by a woman
named Tan Shan Mei, with the help of her family after his husband,
who was the owner of the restaurant, died nigh 10 years ago. The
business was originally founded in the 1980s by Madam Tan Shan
Meis father in law, she claims her father in law invented Bak Kut
Teh. Her father Mr Lee Wen Tee was a chinese chiroprator. Back then
he uses the chinese herbs to cure people sprain and used it to cook
Tika, which is known as pork leg in Hokkien. So he used those
herds to make bak kut teh, and then handed down to his son. When
the son took over the business, he moved the business to Taman
Eng Ann and named it (Qi Xiang), which is pronounced as
Kee Heong in Hokkien, meaning very appetizing.
Kee Heong Bah Kut Teh opens from 7 oclock in the morning to 4
oclock in the evening every day, and closes on alternate Monday. At
here, people can find the two main types of Bak Kut Teh, which is
the traditional ceramic bowl Bak Kut Teh and clay pot Bak Kut Teh
that most of the Bak Kut Teh restaurant in Klang only sells either one
type. Kee Heong's Bak Kut Teh has large pork hocks stewed for long
hours until the pork-skin acquired a translucent, gelatinous quality,
and the meat is meltingly tender. The soup is more like a sticky,
viscous stew, bursting with sweet flavours from the meat, garlic and
Kee Heong's own secret blend of Chinese herbs & spices, finished off
with dark & light soy-sauces. Moreover, Kee Heong's clay pot Bak
Kut Teh includes various other cuts of pork, pig's innards & organs,
11

shitake mushrooms, tofu puffs and bean curd sheets, and served
topped with large lettuce leaves, which one can push into the
bubbling cauldron of soup-stew to slightly cook the vegetable. On
the other hand, Kee Heong also offers the dry version of Bak Kut Teh
which, instead of pork in soup, pork is cooked in the same special
blend of herbs and spices, to which dried chillies, cuttlefish and okra
were added. The dish was absolutely delicious, and went extremely
well with lard-flavoured steamed rice.
It is obvious that Madam Tan Shan Mei has put a lot of efforts in
restaurant Kee Heong Bak Kut Teh. As the shop keeper of Kee Heong
Bak Kut Teh, she works hard to let her customers receive honest
services and best products in order to maintain the reputation of the
business. Overall, Kee Heong Bak Kut Teh is a good place to have
sweet-smelling herbal soup of perfect consistency that will satisfy
the craving for Bak Kut Teh.

12

Competitors of Kee Heong Bak Kut Teh

1. Restoran Mo Sang Kor

Located in Taman Berkeley, approximately 1km away from Kee

Heong Bak Kut Teh, Mo Sang Kor is one of the oldest and famous
Bak Kut Teh establishments in Klang. It is famous for its potent
broth, and its stinginess in providing extra broth. The chef at Mo
Sang Kor Bak Kut Teh is very careful when it comes to order for more
soup, they never dilute their broth with water so that the broth
remain thick and slimy.

2. Restoran Pao Xiang

Located in Taman Berkeley, approximately 1km away from Kee

Heong Bak Kut Teh, Pao Xiang is a very well-known Bak Kut Teh
restaurant in Klang as the very entrepreneurial people behind Pao
Xiang have six branches run by the original owners, and six more
franchise outlets, five in the Klang Valley and one in Singapore. It
offers a very wide variety of pork cuts, from the very popular Tua Kut
(shank in Hokkien), to the fat, melt-in-your-mouth Neng Kut.
13

3. Restoran Ah Her & Samy Bak Kut Teh

Restoran Ah Her & Samy Bak Kut Teh is located a couple blocks
away from the main stretch of shops at Taman Berkeley,
approximately 1.5km away from Kee Heong Bah Kut Teh. It is very
famous for its traditional bowl Bak Kut Teh. The broth is thick and
concentrated with the pork and herbs and the tender pork is
bursting with herbal sweetness. It is a place for those who like their
Bak Kut Teh strong and intense.

14

Strategy employed by Kee Heong Bak Kut Teh

Strategy
Pricing

Service and products

difference

Quality of service

Description
The prices of Bak Kut Teh are affordable
and reasonable.
Kee Heong Bak Kut Teh serves both
traditional bowl Bak Kut Teh and clay pot
Bak Kut Teh. For clay pot Bak Kut Teh,
customers have the choice of the dry
and the soup version of Bak Kut Teh. The
soup Bak Kut Teh is served with the thick
soup broth and plentiful of ingredients,
this includes the innards as well as the
thick 3 layer pork. The ingredients are
perfectly enough and they are serving
more to the meaty side and the fragrant
herbal taste is pretty good too. As for
the dry Bak Kut Teh, it brings a like
spiciness in it. Well mixed the thick
black gravy with the chillies together,
the dried Bak Kut Teh always goes to the
sweater side of the taste instead of the
usual herbal taste. Overall, the Bak Kut
Teh is very well-cooked and goes
extremely well with a bowl of lardflavoured steamed rice.
Kee Heong bah kut teh provides good
services to its customer. The workers
there will welcome the customers
politely and take orders immediately.
Orders come fast and correctly
according to the customers need before
the food cool down.

15

Competitor Analysis Summary Table

Competitive

Teo Chew Bah Kut Teh

Kee Heong Bah Kut

Traits

(Malacca)

Teh (Klang)

1. Number of

10-30

30-70

2. Barrier to

Weak barriers to entry.

Weak barriers to entry.

Entry

Entering the market of

Entering the market of

Bak Kut Teh in Malacca is

Bak Kut Teh in Klang is

easy due to a few factors:

more difficult than in

1. There is less Bak Kut

Malacca due to a few

Teh restaurant in Malacca

factors:

and the competition

1. There are too many

between each restaurant

Bak Kut Teh restaurant

is not strong.

in Klang and the

2. Bak Kut Teh is

competition between

considered something

each Bak Kut Teh

special for Malacca

restaurant is very

Competitors

people since it is the most strong.

well-known delicacies in

2. Most of the Bak Kut

Klang, and is less

Teh restaurant has

common in Malacca.

been open for more

than ten years, they
are experienced and
famous, and have
gained a lot of loyal
customers.
3. People used to go to
the Bak Kut Teh
restaurant that they
usually go to. They are
not likely to try Bak Kut
Teh restaurant because

16

they have stuck to the

old taste.
3.
Differentiated
or

Standardized products

Standardized products

Price taker. They have

Price taker. They have

the weak pricing power

the weak pricing power

because the businesses

because the businesses

have no ability to charge

have no ability to

a higher price than the

charge a higher price

market price

than the market price

unreasonably. This will

unreasonably. This will

cause customer to turn to

cause customer to turn

5. Other

other competitors.
Teo Chew Bah Kut Teh

to other competitors.
Kee Heong Bak Kut Teh

Characteristic

only focuses on 3 main

provides both

dishes. For example the

traditional ceramic

Bak Kut Teh, stir fried

bowl Bak Kut Teh and

vegetables and the

clay pot Bak Kut Teh.

Marinade Pig Trotter

There are two versions

which serve together with

of the clay pot Bak Kut

Yu Char Kuew and yam

Teh, which are the soup

rice. The most important

version and the dry

part is, all of these dishes

version. Kee Heong Bah

are actually prepare by

Kut Teh also sells stir

the boss himself. The food

fried vegetables, such

is not prepared in the

as small Chinese

kitchen but right in the

cabbage (Pei Tsai),

middle of the shop itself.

Ching-Chiang cabbage

The boss which also the

(Pak Choy), etc.

Standardized
Products

4. Pricing
Power

cook would actually yell

non-stop and despite
17

being very helpful for

customers to really watch
him cook, the yelling in
normal kitchen also
comes alive at the shop.
6. Verdict

Monopolistic Competitive.

Monopolistic
Competitive.

Summary Table of The Similarities Between Both Businesses

Teo Chew Bak Kut
Teh
o
Bak Kut Teh
Lead by owner
1
Interest
Private
1
Pass the shop to the
next generation.
Leave it up to them
to decide.
Providing quality food
and services
Home based

Similarities
Number of
branches
Main Product Sold
Leader
Founder
What prompted to
start this business
Annual Revenue
Figure
Number of shops
Future Plan

Strategy
Business
Operation

Kee Heong Bak Kut

Teh
o
Bak Kut Teh
Lead by owner
1
Interest
Private
1
Pass the shop to the
next generation.
Leave it up to them
to decide.
Providing quality food
and services
Home based

Summary Table of The Differences Between Both Businesses

Teo Chew Bak Kut
Teh
1980
Mr. Eng father
Jalan Melaka Raya 4,
Taman Melaka Raya,
75000 Melaka,

Differences
When it was
founded
Founder
Location

18

Kee Heong Bak Kut

Teh
1974
Mr. Lee Wen Tee
7, Lorong Kasawari
4a, Taman Eng Ann,
41150 Klang,

Malaysia
8
50-100 Per day
People living nearby
and tourist
3
7.00 AM 3.00 PM
Soup with distinct
herbal and black
pepper flavour.

Selangor
Number of
employees
Number of
customer
Who are the
customer
Number of
competitor
Business Hour
Special Dish

11
80-120 Per day
People living nearby
7
7.00AM 4.00PM
Hokkien-style herbal
pork-rib soup

Conclusion
Based on the comparative analysis, it has been concluded that Kee
Heong Bak Kut Teh in Klang is more commercially successful as
compared to Teo Chew Bak Kut Teh in Melaka.
Firstly, the average number of customer for Kee Heong is greater
than Teo Chew Bak Kut Teh. They may not have many branches but
quality of the food makes customers dying to come back and even
introduce their friend to try their food.
Secondly, Kee Heong Bak Kut Teh has been in the business longer
than Teo Chew Bak Kut Teh. Even though it is few years longer;
however they have more experiences and loyal customers. They
also have more varieties of food. This shows a strong advantage
because it is able to attract more customers. The prices of both
businesses are almost the same, which is not too costly and the
customers are willing to pay for it.
In conclusion, Kee Heong Bak Kut Teh is more commercially
successful then Teo Chew Bak Kut Teh due to the supporting reasons
19

as stated above which includes a higher average of customers and

quality of food.

20

Obstacle faced by New Business

Financial Problems
As faced by many new restaurant owners, start-up capital is not an
easy stuff to get onto their hands. To open and run a new
restaurant, they need a large sum of funding to cover expense such
as, shop rental, hiring new staffs, stocking the kitchen and buying
new furniture for the new restaurant. Mostly when a new restaurant
had just established, their reputation is not well recognize, and the
owner will suffer as there is no good profit for several months.
Sometimes, the new restaurant is forced to close down when there
is no profit to cover up the expenses.
Heavy Competition
Most people who want to eat Bah Kut Teh usually will flock to old
and well-established restaurant, rather than going into a just started
Bak Kut Teh restaurant. If considered opening a new Bah Kut Teh
shop in Malaysia, a lot of competitors are already ready to conquer
your business as there are more than 500 shops selling the same
Bak Kut Teh, and some of them are famous and the quality of their
Bak Kut Teh is tip top. On the other hand, the old restaurant doesnt
need any form of advertising to attract their costumers while newly
opened restaurants needs to greatly promote their food. Worst come
to worst, people will tend to think again to either try their luck and
dine your Bak Kut Teh or just eat a Bak Kut Teh made by old
professional cookers.
Unique Selling Point
Bak Kut Teh is a well-known dish and it is not easy to be made. It
requires great skills and experience to bring out the real taste that
most people would want to taste. New owners of Bak Kut Teh
restaurant cannot create a simple herbal soup and expect people
will start to flock into their shop. They need to come up with better
ingredients and components that add a unique selling point to
counter the traditional taste of Bak Kut Teh made by other
competitors. As all people have their own different preference and
fondness towards the taste of Bak Kut Teh, they also need to
reconsider the taste of the Bak Kut Teh, whether it is suitable for the
costumer, would it be too salty? Would it be too sweet? Would it be
too heavily flavoured with herbs and spices? They need to take into
all accounts to beat other competitors which already have their own
unique taste and regular customers.
Management and Staffs
As said in the previous point, Bak Kut Teh is not someone who can
master it easily. So, the restaurant owner needs to carefully pick the
staffs and the right employees. They cannot just simply hire a
foreigner worker and ask them to learn how to cook and then tell
them to manage the whole kitchen while they sit on the cashier
21

area. This will make an irreparably damage to their shops reputation

and future customer as the quality of the Bak Kut Teh is not up to
the expectation of the customers. Owners at least have one good
chef to control the whole flow of the kitchen while still maintaining
the foreigner workers to do the side jobs so that the good chef can
control the quality of the Bak Kut Teh soup. There will be a
miscommunication if a foreigner worker is hired as a waiter who
doesnt even understand simple Chinese. Waiter for the restaurant
should be employees that are fluent in Chinese language as most
Bak Kut Teh customers are Chinese.

22

Nature of their market

Both Bak Kut Teh shops are in a competitive market. There are a lot
of Bak Kut Teh shops in the same area, which creates lots of
competition. The Bak Kut Teh shops have weak barriers to entry. This
means new firms are able to enter and exit the market freely.
Besides, the Bak Kut Teh shops have weak pricing power, because
they have no ability to charge a higher price than the market price
unreasonably. This will cause customer to turn to other competitors.
Therefore, having a good quality food will bring back trustworthy
customers.

23

Recommendation
Add Variety
Teo Chew Bak Kut Teh and Kee Heong Bak Kut Teh is very famous for
their Bak Kut Teh and their technique to make the soup is wellestablish. So to improve more customers to come to their shop, they
can update their menu with other different types of Chinese dishes
like steamed fish, Yong Tau Foo or special porridge to incorporate
with their Bak Kut Teh. This will attract people who want to not just
eat Bak Kut Teh, because they have more choices to select from the
menu, creating a different taste when enjoying their meals. These
days, youngsters from the new generation are tired with the
traditional ways of typical Chinese restaurant as it is not appealing
with other trending modern restaurants. By doing so, they can also
introduce new beverage rather than going with the traditional
making tea, like start selling bubble tea or milk tea to attract
youngster to their shop.
Getting an Upgrade
Both of the Bak Kut Teh shop runs in a very traditional way with
simple plastic chairs and creaking celling fans. With this set up, only
regular customer will step in and they cannot attract new customer
in the future. So, both of the restaurant should renovate their shop
to accommodate with the current trend. They may repaint their
walls, replace plastic furniture with wooden chairs and tables and
also change into air conditioner. They should also create an identity
by making a standard T-shirt for the workers in the restaurant so the
restaurants employees look more formal and appealing. With a
conventional mindset, they can also hire a modern Feng Shui master
to help them improve the whole layout of the restaurant and on the
other hand, improves their luck and economic too.
Expand Territory
Supposing Teo Chew Bak Kut Teh and Kee Heong Bak Kut Teh is longestablished, they should consider expanding their business by
opening up more shops. They should pass down their recipe of
making their Bak Kut Teh soup to their apprentice. Through
expanding, everyone can able to taste their soup without going far
24

away to their shop, reducing transport distance for their customers.

This is also a form of advertising which increase their reputation too.
Going High-Tech
Both of the restaurant use newspaper or magazine to promote their
business. This is considering very old fashion way of advertising. So
instead of that, they can create a website page through Facebook or
Instagram. This can heavily gain attention from young people who
tends to use high tech gadgets on their daily lives. This is a great
way to connect the customer with the restaurant through virtual
interaction. They can also change or make adjustment to their
working etiquette through responses and reviews that customers
had written on their website page, making them more favourable to
revisit.

Appendices
Appendix 1: Interview Questions
INTRO

1
2
3
4

What is your name?

What is your job position in this business?
How old are you?
How long have you owned this shop?

HISTORY

1
2
3
4
5

Did you start this business or did you inherit it?

Who is the key founder of this business?
Why or what made the founder start this business?
How and where did this business start?
How many generations has this shop been inherited?

ABOUT THE BUSINESS

1 How many types of dishes do you sell? Which are your main
dishes?
2 Who usually are your customers?
3 What is the annual or monthly revenue figure for this
business? Ask with caution and politely with permission
from the person
4 Do you have any branch? How many? Where?
5 Does the name of the shop hold any meaning? What is it?
6 How long has this business been going on?
25

7 How the dishes are bring cook? Is there a special way? Who
cook it?
8 What are the future developments you plan for this business?
Eg. Expand shop, more branches
9 Are most of the employees hired or from the family?
FUTURE DEVELOPMENT

1 Do you plan to add new dishes to your menu?

2 Who is going to inherit this business from you?
3 How are you going to improvise your business?
SUCCESS

1 How did you maintain your business so long, up until now?

2 Do you think your business is successful or improving?
3 Have you faced any crisis before in this many years? What is
it?
4 How many customers do you have every day? Estimate.
5 Did you have any recent development for this business?
COMPETITION

1 Who do you consider as your competition?

2 Do you think they are strong competitors?
3 What are your strategies to compete with them? How?
CURRENT MARKET

1 Do you think at current time and economy, it is a wise choice

to start a new business same as yours? Would it be easy or
hard?
2 What obstacles would they face?
3 How would GST affect this kind of business?

26

Appendix 2: Interview Questions with answers

Interview questions with answers
Teo Chew Bah Kut Teh
Date: 7 November 2015
Time: 3.00pm 3.30pm
Location: Jalan Melaka Raya 4, Malacca, Melaka, Malaysia
Interviewed Person: Ng Mei Ling
Job Position: Owners wife
Q: Who is the owner of Teo Chew Bah Kut Teh?
A: Ong Qing Fu.
Q: What is your (Madam Ng Mei Ling) job position in this restaurant?
A: Im in charge of taking orders and serving the customers. Actually, our
business is quite simple, we focus on selling Bah Kut Teh and pigs
knuckles only so theres nothing complicated.
Q: May I know how old are you (Madam Ng Mei Ling)?
A: Im 51 years old this year.
Q: How long have you (Madam Ng Mei Ling) been working in this
restaurant?
A: Ive been working at here about 30 years since it opened.
Q: What is your relationship with the owner of Teo Chew Bah Kut Teh?
A: Actually, we are running a family business. My father-in-law is the man
who started this business and then he passed it down to us. Now that my
27

son has grown up, I think we will retire soon and hand over the business to
him. Thats it; passing down the business generation by generation and
my son will be the third generation that take over this business.
Q: Do you know what was your father-in-laws first intention to open this
restaurant?
A: Im not so sure about this and he had passed away.
Q: Is this (Melaka Raya) the place where Teo Chew Bah Kut Teh started?
Where is the first Teo Chew Bah Kut Teh restaurant? Is there any other Teo
Chew Bah Kut The restaurant in other places?
A: We opened at another place before. Many years ago, my father in-law
started selling Bah Kut Teh at a small stall. Afterwards, he opened his own
shop and broadens his business. When he retired, he passed his business
down to my husband. Theres only one Teo Chew Bah Kut Teh restaurant.
However, there are Bah Kut Teh restaurants that are opened by our
relatives, which has the similar Bah Kut Teh style as us, but they dont
share the same name. For example, the Ah Lang Bah Kut The, which is
opened by my sister-in-law.
Q: What kind of customers do you have?
A: Usually, our customers are regular customers, includes families,
students, and more. Some of the students have been visiting us for many
years, man and boy.
Q: Are there any Indian customers?
A: Yes, there are but not as much as the Chinese. We also have customers
from Singapore, and there are regular customers because they will always
come back to us when they want to eat Bah Kut Teh in Malacca.
Q: Why is this restaurant named Teo Chew Bah Kut Teh?
A: Teo Chew is our the native place of our family, thats why we named it
Teo Chew Bah Kut Teh.
Q: Did the Bah Kut Teh here cooked according to the Teo Chews cooking
style?
A: Yes, sort of, because we cooked according to our taste and we are used
to Teo Chew taste.
Q: Teo Chew Bah Kut Teh has opened for 30 years?
A: For this shop at here, Melaka Raya, it has only opened for 20 years, but
its been 30 years since my generation took over this business from my
father-in-law which is the last generation.
Q: Who is the chef in this restaurant? Is it your family members or workers
from the outside?
A: The one who work in the kitchen are our own family members. We only
employed some foreign workers to do the clean-up or others unskilled
work.

28

Q: Have you ever thought of opening a branch at other places or broaden

your business?
A: To be honest, we are quite satisfied with our business. I think we have
had achievement in our generation. We are old now, and are going to
retire soon so we will let the next generation to decide on further
development on this business.
Q: What is the barrier that made you refused to open a new branch?
A: The biggest problem we are facing now is the number of workers.
Nowadays, it is very difficult to employ new workers and we are afraid that
we cant handle a busier situation. Lack of workers can reduce the
productivity of our business and we dont want that to happen.
Q: How many foreign workers are there in your restaurant?
A: For now, we only have 5 foreign workers, others all are our own family
memebers.
Q: How many family members are there in your restaurant?
A: Theres me and my husband, plus two of my sons. Once in a while, my
daughter will come and help us after school.
Q: Have you ever thought of adding a new variety to your menu?
A: I think focus on what we have now and make it the best is enough. In
our owners opinion, concentrate on only a few dishes is the best decision.
Q: How do you maintain your business and keep your reputation high?
A: Actually, theres nothing special. First and foremost, we do everything
ourselves. We never let foreign workers to cook in the kitchen. Second, we
keep everything clean in our restaurant because environmental hygiene or
food hygiene are very important.
Q: Overall, are you satisfied with your business?
A: I might not be able to handle this business if there are more customers.
So I think Im quite satisfied already. Regarding further development, I
think I will leave it to the next generations.
Q: Did you face any problems throughout these years?
A: The biggest problem that we faced is labour issue. Nowadays, it is very
difficult to employ workers. I used to have 8 foreign workers but I found
that some of them are not suitable for this job, so I sent them back to their
home.
Q: How many customers do you have in a day?
A: Im not really sure about this but usually there will be more customers
on Sundays and during holidays.
Q: Does Teo Chew Bah Kut Teh opens every day?
A: No, it closes on Monday.

29

Q: Is morning the busiest business hours?

A: Not always, sometimes the busiest business hours are during lunch
hours.
Q: When is your business hour?
A: Our business starts at 7.00am and usually it closes atl 2.00pm,
depends.
Q: Weve realized that there are some others Bah Kut Teh shops around
here, do you find it competitive?
A: For me, I think as long as we choose the best materials for our
customers, keep our food fresh and clean, and be honest with them, our
business will not be affected by the others.
Q: According to current Bah Kut Teh market, do you think its easy for
people to enter this market now? What are the barriers to entry for new
Bah Kut Teh business?
A: I think its is difficult for all business to start up nowadays, according to
our countrys economic condition.
Q: What do you think is the most important thing in opening a Bah Kut Teh
restaurant?
A: As what Ive mentioned earlier, I think using good materials and
keeping your food fresh and clean are the most important things in
opening a Bah Kut Teh restaurant.

Interview questions with answers

Kee Heong Bah Kut Teh
Date: 9 November 2015
Time: 1 pm -1.30 pm
Location: 7, Lorong Kasawari 4a, Taman Eng Ann, 41150 Klang, Selangor,
Malaysia
Interviewed Person: Tan Shan Mei
Job Position: Owner
Q: What is your name?
A: Tan Shan Mei.

30

Q: May I know how old are you?

A: Im 65 years old this year.
Q: How long is this business?
A: 30 years.
Q: Are you the founder of this business? Where did it started?
A: The founder of this business is my father-in-law, Mr. Lee Wen Tee. The
first shop was not open here, but another place in Klang. For this shop, it
has only opened 20 years.
Q: Is this a family business?
A: Yes, the business passes down generation by generation. Im the
second generation who took over this business, and my children are the
third generation.
Q: How did the business started?
A: The business was started by my father-in-law. He used to know a lot
about Chinese medicine so he decided to open a restaurant because that
sells Chinese herbals food which is Bah Kut Teh.
Q: Have you ever thought of broadening your business?
A: I think Im too old for that. I will leave it to my children.
Q: Who did the cooking?
A: We employed workers and teach them how to cook.
Q: What are the most popular dishes in your restaurant?
A: Customers usually order traditional ceramic bowl Bah Kut Teh, dry
version claypot Bah Kut The and also soup version claypot Bah Kut Teh. In
my opinion, traditional ceramic bowl Bah Kut Teh is the best.
Q: What is the price range for the Bah Kut Teh?
A: Traditional ceramic bowl RM11 person, for claypot RM12-13 per person,
all excluded 6% GST.

Q: Did you face any problems throughout these years?

A: The biggest problem that we faced is labour issue. Nowadays, it is very
difficult to employ workers and sometimes the workers are hard to teach.
Q: How many workers do you have in this restaurant? Are they your family
memebers?
A: We only have five workers, only one of them is my family member.
Q: Are there any competitors around?
A: Yes, there are. There are many Bah Kut Teh shops in Taman Berkeley,
such as Mao San Kor Bah Kut Teh, Pao Xiang Bah Kut The and more.

31

Q: Are they competitive?

A: Sure they are.
Q: How do you overstep these competitors? What are your strategies?
A: The only secret is to make sure the materials we use are good. Good
materials make quality food.
Q: According to current Bah Kut Teh market, do you think its easy for
people to enter this market now? What are the barriers to entry for new
Bah Kut Teh business?
A: I think its is very difficult due to our countrys economic condition. Plus,
GST makes starting a business even harder for people. The capital of
selling Bah Kut The is high, and therefore our profit decreases.
Q: How did you came up with the name Kee Heong?
A: It was my husbands idea. Kee Heong in hokkien means very appetizing.
Q: Have you ever thought of adding a new variety to your menu?
A: We used to sell only the traditional ceramic bowl Bah Kut Teh. Now
weve added the dry and soup version of claypot Bah Kut Teh, and fried
Chinese cabbage. Young people nowadays usually prefer claypot Bah Kut
Teh.
Q: When is your busiest business hour?
A: Usually, during lunch hours, around 12.00pm to 2.00pm.
Q: When is your business hour?
A: Our business starts at 7.00am and usually it closes at 9.00pm.

Appendix 3: Business Card

Kee Heong Bak Kut Teh

32

Teo Chew Bak Kut Teh

33

Appendix 4: Website
34

Kee Heong Bak Kut Teh

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Kee-Heong-Klang-Bak-KutTeh/199345890086884

Teo Chew Bak Kut Teh

Website: https://foodeverywhere.wordpress.com/2012/10/20/teo-chewbah-kut-teh-melaka/

Appendix 5: Minutes of meeting

35

Meeting 1
DATE:
TIME:
VENUE:

3 November 2015 (Tuesday)

12 pm 2 pm
Outside Library

NAMES OF GROUP
MENBER
Darren Tan Quan wen
Angela Wee Kah Man
Chia Keh Chian
Cha Yun Xian
Chan Koon Qi
Tang Ying Jien
NO
.
1.

2.

3.

TUTORIAL GROUP

ROLE

Wednesday
Monday
Monday
Monday
Monday
Wednesday

Leader
Secretary
Member
Member
Member
Member

ACTIVITY

ACTION TAKEN BY

Introduction
- The main purpose of the meeting is to
decide the type of business to
research.
Discussion
- Decision the choices regarding the
location of the business
- Listing the interview question
- Minutes of meeting will be recorded
by Angela Wee Kah Man.
- Artistic cover will be design by Tang
Ying Jien.
- Video Editing will be done by Chan
Koon Qi
Conclusion
- We decided to pick Klang and Melaka
for location.
- The interview question has yet
finalize
- Next meeting will be on 6 November
2015 (Friday)

36

All Member

All Member
All Member
Angela Wee
Tang Ying Jien
Chan Koon Qi

All Member
All Member
All Member

Meeting 2
DATE:
TIME:
VENUE:

6 November 2015 (Friday)

8 pm 10 pm
At Angela House (Melaka)

NAMES OF GROUP
MENBER
Darren Tan Quan wen
Angela Wee Kah Man
Chia Keh Chian
Cha Yun Xian
Chan Koon Qi
Tang Ying Jien

TUTORIAL GROUP

ROLE

Wednesday
Monday
Monday
Monday
Monday
Wednesday

Leader
Secretary
Member
Member
Member
Member

37

NO
.
1.

2.

3.

ACTIVITY

ACTION TAKEN BY

Introduction
- Distribute the role of member during
interview.
Discussion
- Distribution of roles between group
member
Chia Keh Chian: Interview
Cha Yun Xian: Interview
Chan Koon Qi: Videographer
Tang Ying Jien: Photographer
Darren Tan: Photographer
Angela Wee: Record all notes of
interview

Darren Tan

All Members

- Finalize the business question and

location
Melaka: Teo Chew Bak Kut Teh
Klang: Kee Heong Bak Kut Teh

All Members

- Check the equipment for interview

All Members

Conclusion
- Next meeting to be confirmed

38

Meeting 3
DATE:
TIME:
VENUE:

9 November 2015 (Monday)

10 am 2 am
E8.02

NAMES OF GROUP
MENBER
Darren Tan Quan wen
Angela Wee Kah Man
Chia Keh Chian
Cha Yun Xian
Chan Koon Qi
Tang Ying Jien
NO
.
1.

2.

TUTORIAL GROUP

ROLE

Wednesday
Monday
Monday
Monday
Monday
Wednesday

Leader
Secretary
Member
Member
Member
Member

ACTIVITY

ACTION TAKEN BY

Introduction
- Roles of group member for report
assignment
Discussion
- Distribution of roles between group
member
Chia Keh Chian: Slides
Cha Yun Xian: Description, competitors
and strategy of Kee Heong Bak Kut Teh.
Chan Koon Qi: Video
Tang Ying Jien: Cover page, history,
obstacle, recommendation and
references.

39

Darren Tan

All Member

Darren Tan: Key Summary, competitive

analysis summery table, differences
and similar between summary,
conclusion and nature of their market.

3.

Angela Wee: Description, competitors

and strategy of Teo Chew Bak Kut Teh.
Conclusion
- Work must be 80% done on 16 Nov
2015
- Next meeting will be on 19 Nov 2015

All Member
All Member

Meeting 4
DATE:
TIME:
VENUE:

19 November 2015 (Thursday)

10 am 12 pm
Outside Library

NAMES OF GROUP
MENBER
Darren Tan Quan wen
Angela Wee Kah Man

TUTORIAL GROUP

ROLE

Wednesday
Monday

Leader
Secretary

40

Chia Keh Chian

Cha Yun Xian
Chan Koon Qi
Tang Ying Jien
NO
.
1.
2.

3.

Monday
Monday
Monday
Wednesday

ACTIVITY

Member
Member
Member
Member
ACTION TAKEN BY

Introduction
- Finalization of the compile report
Discussion
- Need to finish the appendix
- Video let a bit more to complete
- Others part are done.
- Preparation of Presentation
Conclusion
- Compete all the work by 22 Nov 2015
and printed

Darren Tan
All Member
Chan Koon QI
All member
Tang Ying Jien
All Member

Appendix 6: Photos
Teo Chew Bak Kut Teh Restaurant

The exterior of the restaurant

restaurant

The interior of the

41

Food preparation by the boss and

by the restaurant
worker

Interview session
lady boss

Choices of food served

Group photo with the

42

Kee Heong Bak Kut Teh Restaurant

Exterior of the restaurant

of the word Kee

Lines of verse that consist

and Heong hanging

on wall

Cooking area
food

Workers preparing

Interior of the shop crowded with

served in clay
customers

Dry and soup Bak Kut Teh

pot
43

Interview session
the lady boss

Group photo with

44

Bibliography
1. Pas, D. (2013, July 23). Bah Ku Teh Teow Chew,Taman Melaka Raya.
Retrieved from https://www.google.com/search?q=citation
machine&oq=cita&aqs=chrome.4.69i60l4j0j69i57.3513j0j7&sourceid=chr
ome&es_sm=122&ie=UTF-8
2. Teo Chew Bah Ku Teh (). (n.d.). Retrieved from
http://www.hungrygowhere.my/melaka/teo-chew-bah-ku-teh/
3. Teo Chew Bak Kut Teh. (n.d.). Retrieved from
http://www.gomelaka.my/teo-chew-bak-kut-teh/
4. Teo Chew Bak Kut Teh. (n.d.). Retrieved from
https://foursquare.com/v/-teo-chew-bak-kutteh/4e7558d4a809582dd5e95a84
5. Kee Heong Bak Kut Teh, Eng Ann - Klang. (2009, May 19). Retrieved
from http://juliansi.blogspot.my/2009/05/kee-heong-bak-kut-teh-eng-annklang.html?m=1
6. Jotaro. (2014, March 9). YummY! - Klang Bak Kut Teh @ Kee Heong.
Retrieved from http://jotarofootsteps.blogspot.my/2014/03/yummy-klangbak-kut-teh-kee-heong.html?m=1

45

Reference
1. Teo Chew Bak Kut Teh, Melaka - Restaurant Reviews & Photos TripAdvisor (Teo Chew Bak Kut Teh, Melaka - Restaurant Reviews &
Photos - TripAdvisor)
https://www.tripadvisor.com.my/Restaurant_Review-g306997d3504428-Reviews-Teo_Chew_Bak_Kut_TehMelaka_Central_Melaka_District_Melaka_State.html
2. My Favorite Teo Chew Bah Ku Teh . (2012,
February 9). Retrieved from
http://carolslifejourney.blogspot.my/2012/02/my-favorite-teo-chewbah-ku-teh.html
3. Bah Ku Teh Teo Chew . (n.d.). Retrieved from
http://my.openrice.com/malacca/restaurant/bah-ku-teh-teo-chewmalacca-town/387057
4. Skycookies (2012,October 20).TEO CHEW BAH KUT TEH @
MELAKA
Retrieved from
https://foodeverywhere.wordpress.com/2012/10/20/teo-chew-bahkut-teh-melaka/
5. 10 Best Bak Kut Teh in Klang. (n.d.). Retrieved from
http://my.openrice.com/klangvalley/article/10-best-bak-kut-teh-inklang/498
6. Yeoh, K. (2012, May 26). Kuala Lumpur - Kee Heong Bak Kut Teh @
Taman Eng Ann, Klang. Retrieved from
http://www.chowhound.com/post/kuala-lumpur-kee-heong-bak-kutteh-taman-eng-ann-klang-851029

46