Hailing from Taiping Perak, Chester Lee at all times wanted to have a café or eating place earlier than turning 30.
And in 2019, the pace he grew to become 30, he did simply that.
Prior to that, Chester were a loan mortgage banker via industry.
“Mortgage sales is a high-pressure job because you always have to deal with a lot of high-end customers,” he described the occupation.
Operating principally with foreigners, Chester would regularly progress to Hong Kong, which used to be splendid as he’s beloved Cantonese films and tune since younger.
The banker may be partial to Hong Kongese meals, which is why he selected to specialize in it when he made the verdict to pivot.
“Among all the HK food, I choose polo bun to be my signature dish because in Malaysia [we] don’t have many polo bun choices,” he claimed.
Polo buns are sometimes called pineapple buns, however they’ve not anything to do with the tropical fruit on the subject of flavours. Instead, they’re known as that on account of their homogeneous look.
The customery pastry is featured in lots of Hong Kong-styled eating places in Malaysia, nevertheless it’s now not generally the hero merchandise.
Plus, Chester shared that he hadn’t been in a position to search out any polo bun in Malaysia that used to be to his liking.
So, 5 years in the past, Chester vacate his banking occupation and introduced All Life Polo Bun with a bootstrapped capital of round RM200,000.
Studying from the masters
Going to the industry, Chester went all of the method to Hong Kong to be informed the artwork of polo buns from a well-known sifu.
“This is P&C,” he replied when requested about who that sifu used to be. “What I can disclose is my Sifu [has been] working in HK’s famous cha chan teng called Tsui Wah (翠華) for more than 10 years.”
Following his polo bun baking steps to a tee (however changing red meat lard with butter), Chester used to be in a position to achieve self belief that All Life Polo Bun would arise out on the market.
“I think no one in Malaysia can beat my polo bun,” he proudly mentioned. “And All Day Polo Bun is not only a restaurant that sells HK food, we sell HK culture too.”
Being professional in making the dish doesn’t essentially ruthless being professional in working a full-fledged industry, although. That is particularly the case as Chester hasn’t ever been inquisitive about F&B entrepreneurship.
“Banking line is totally different with F&B,” he mused.
However Chester believes that being an intruder additionally provides him new concepts, particularly in terms of designing his industry on the subject of the menu and advertising.
Necessarily, he appears like he isn’t fasten unwell via the old-school pondering or regulations within the trade.
“I think this is my advantage and this is the difference between me and other F&B owners,” he mentioned.
All week, each and every week
Moment polo buns are the identify of the industry, All Life Polo Bun additionally deals an collection of alternative Hong Kongese dishes.
This implies Chester’s eating place should compete with alternative Hong Kong-styled institutions, which aren’t all too uncommon within the Klang Valley.
However Chester isn’t too involved in regards to the pageant, believing that the core idea of maintaining a cafe is just making sure that the meals is just right—which he says All Life Polo Bun has accomplished.
Nearest all, that’s what allowed the staff to develop to a 2nd pack in SS18, which opened in March 2023.
Chester unearths that via aggregating the orders from each retail outlets, they may be able to crash as much as 1,000 buns in step with week on weekends.
To help this quantity, All Life Polo Bun has a complete of 20 personnel participants for each retail outlets. Chester now focuses extra at the central kitchen’s meals preparation in addition to advertising.
Given his good fortune, the founder expectantly shared that he has deny plans on turning back the banking international. Instead, he’d like to completely spend money on rising his F&B industry, an struggle that will require his complete focal point and focus.
Excluding opening the 3rd All Life Polo Bun outlet this pace, Chester intends to amp up advertising—now not only for their very own branding, however for Hong Kong and Cantonese tradition general.
Be informed extra about All Life Polo Bun right here.
Learn alternative articles we’ve written about F&B companies right here.
Featured Symbol Credit score: All Life Polo Bun
