English report

3. KEY SUMMARY
In this assignment, we are required to choose 2 similar businesses at two
different locations. After several discussions and deep thought processes, we
agreed to interview on two famous Bah Kut The restaurants in Klang. Both of the
restaurants are located in Klang but at different locations. The first restaurant that
we chose is called Seng Huat Bah Kut The, which is also known as "Under the
Klang Bridge Bak Kut Teh", because of its close proximity to the Klang bridge and
is renown among Teluk Pulai. We chose Klang Lek Bah Kut Teh as our second
shop to be interviewed and is located at the housing estate of Teluk Pulai, Klang.
We then interviewed the owner in both shops to compare the differences between
both shops in terms of history, prices and services.

4. LOCATION
KLANG LEK BAK KUT TEH
ADDRESS: 27, Jalan Teluk Pulai, Kawasan 6, 41100 Klang, Selangor

5. RestoranSeng Huat Bak Kut Teh
ADDRESS: Jalan Besar, Kawasan 1, 41000 Klang, Selangor, Malaysia

6. RESEARCH
-QUESTIONS
Before the day we go to our location, we did our research about the questions for
the interview tomorrow. Below here, are the questions that we asked:-
1. When was the business founded?
2. Who are the key founders?
3. What prompted the founders to start this business?
4. What are the main dishes that you sell?
5. Who is your main customer and how old are they?
6. What is the business’ annual revenue figure?
7. How many branch offices/stores do you have (if applicable)?
8. Can you provide us a brief history of your business and its most recent development?
9. Do you have any competitions? Who are they? Who are your top 3 competitions?
10. What do you think differentiates your restaurant with the others in terms of taste and services?
11. Do you think it is easy to run this business and why?
12. What time do you wake up everyday to prepare the food?

7. -KLANG LEK BAK KUT TEH
Based on our research, we googled for Teluk Pulai Bak Kut Teh which is
also one of the famous restaurants in Klang. Usually, Bah Kut Teh in Klang
normally opens for during the breakfast and lunch hour. However, I found that this
“Meat Bone Tea” restaurant which so happen to be in the same row as the Teluk
Pulai Bak Kut Teh. It's located at Jalan Teluk Pulai and it opens from morning till
night.
During our interview, Mr. Oan Chee Kian told us about the history of his shop. In
the 70s, Oan Ah Lek started their modest Bah Kut Teh (which is called “meat
bone tea”) business in Teluk Pulai, Klang. It is one of the most popular dishes
served in Malaysia nowadays. The business flourished since then and the next
decade witnessed an increasing of venture into Bah Kut Teh business in Klang and
Port Klang. Thus, he also tells us there are about 600 more stalls/shops of Bah Kut
The in Klang & Port Klang itself. Competition is very intense in this business.
However Mr. Ah Lek is able to strive to be one of the best Bah Kut Teh in town. In
fact, the business was even featured in a few popular food books and magazines.
And today, this business has expanded and the second branch is located in Sentosa
Klang, handle by his elder daughter and her husband, while the main branch by his
son, Oan Chee Kian.

8. -RESTORANTSENG HUAT BAH KUT TEH
Based on our findings, Seng Huat Bak Kut Teh is also well known as one of
the restaurant which offers the best among the best Bak Kut Teh in Klang. It is
located quite near to the Klang KTM. So it is very convenient to walk from the
KTM station to the restaurant. The restaurant is also said to have 70 years of
history in Bak Kut Teh business and it is real long from their humblest beginning
since 1979, they have been delighted to serve their customers, friends, associates &
visitors from near & far, their authentic Klang, Bak Kut Teh.
The name of Bak Kut Teh literally translates as "Meat Bone Tea". Bak Kut Teh
consists of pork ribs simmered in a broth of soy sauce, Chinese herbs and spices
such as cinnamon, ginseng, star anise, wolfberry, Chinese foxglove and dried
orange peel for hours. Bak Kut Teh is usually eaten with rice or yam rice and this
restaurant also served either individual bowl of Bah Kut Teh with your preferred
cut of meat or the clay pot style which consists of meat, tofu, vegetables, bean curd
and mushrooms.
Seng Huat Bak Kut Teh is also popularly known amongst Klang folks as
"Under the Klang Bridge Bak Kut Teh", because of its close proximity to the
said bridge. They are passionate about Bak Kut Teh, and upholding its culinary
tradition. They love to meet people and make friends from all over the world.

9. METHODOLOGY
-HOW WE CONTACH THEM?
We surf their website.
http://www.klanglek.com/
http://www.senghuatbakkutteh.com
Then, we contacted them via the phone number they had provided on their website.
-HOW WE GO TO KLANG?
We went there by KTM and it was cheap and time saving. When we
arrived at the KTM station, we hired a taxi which brought us to the
restaurant and had our interview. After that interview, we walked to the
other Seng Huat Restaurant. Although it was very far away from Klang Lek
Bak Kut Teh which is about 1.3km away. After our interview, we went back
by KTM and it was really near from Seng Huat’s restaurant.

10. -HOW WE DO THE SURVEY AND INTERVIEW?
Before the day we go to Klang, we had done some research about “What
question do we usually ask during an interview (food).” We also prepared our
question and wrote it down in a piece before the day of the interview. After we
reached, we told the owner of the shop about the interview and we started
interviewing them. While some of us were jotting down the content, others were
busy recording down the whole process. Lastbut not least, the questioner.

11. Description of Bak Kut The History
Bak Kut Teh is a Chinese soup popularly served in Malaysia and
Singapore, where there is a predominant Hoklo and Teochew community, and also
in neighbouring areas like the Riau Islands and Southern Thailand. It is also
popularly thought to have originated in Klang.
The name literally translates as "meat bone tea", and at its simplest,
consists of different cuts of pork meat simmered in a herb based broth for hours.
Most shops will normally use pork ribs, but they are also known to include other
cuts of pork into the herbal broth as well. Despite its name, there is in fact no tea in
the dish itself; the name refers to a strong oolong Chinese tea which is usually
served alongside the soup in the belief that it dilutes or dissolves the copious
amount of fat consumed in this pork-laden dish. Other ingredients commonly
found in a bowl of Bak Kut Teh are mushrooms, fried tofu puffs, pieces of dried
tofu and iceberg lettuce. However, additional Chinese herbs may include ‘yu zhu’
and ‘ju zhi’ (buckthorn fruit), which give the soup a sweeter, slightly stronger
flavour. Light and dark soy sauce are also added to the soup during cooking, with
varying amounts depending on the variant - the Teochew’s version is lighter than
the Hokkien’s. The dish can be garnished with chopped coriander or green onions
and a sprinkling of fried shallots.
Bak Kut Teh is usually eaten with rice or yam rice, and often served
with chinese crullers (strips of fried dough) for dipping into the soup. Soy sauce
(usually light soy sauce, but dark soy sauce is also offered sometimes) is preferred
as a condiment, with which chopped chilli and minced garlic is taken together. The
meal is not complete without one or two vegetables dishes that are usually cooked
with oyster sauce and dried onions.

12. There are numerous variants of Bak Ku The with its cooking style
closely influenced by the prevailing Chinese enclave of a certain geographical
location. In Singapore, there are three types of Bak Kut Teh. First and foremost,the
most common variant is the Teochew style, which is light in colour but uses more
pepper and garlic in the soup. Besides, the Hoklo (Hokkien), who prefer saltier
food, use more soy sauce resulting in a darker soup. Third, the Cantonese, with a
soup-drinking culture, add medicinal herbs to create a stronger flavoured soup. In
Malaysia, a dry form of Bak Kut Teh has also recently become increasingly
popular within Malaysia, especially in Klang. Although called dry, the broth is in
fact reduced to a thick gravy, to which other ingredients such as wolfberries, dried
dates, dried chillies and dried squid are added. Unlike the original rib soup, the dry
version has a tangier, sharper taste and is more akin to a herbal stew than the
classical broth. It is often recommended locally in Malaysia as an excellent
hangover cure.
A less fatty variation of Bak Kut Teh made with chicken instead of
pork is called Chik Kut Teh. It also serves as a halal version of the dish catered to
Muslims, whose religion forbids them to consume pork.

13. Description of Business
Klang Lek Bak Kut Teh
Back in the 70s, Oan Ah Lek started a modest Bak Kut Teh
business in Teluk Pulai, Klang, a Chinese soup popularly served in Malaysia
nowadays. The business flourished since then and the next decade witnessed an
increasing of venture into Bak Kut Teh business in Klang and Port Klang, and
some say in certain areas in Malaysia. Thus, there is about more or less 600
stalls/shops of Bak Kut Teh in Klang & Port Klang itself. Competition is intense in
this business, however Ah Lek is able to strive to be one of the best Bak Kut The in
town. In fact, the business was even featured in a few popular food books and
magazines.
Today, the business has expanded and the second branch is located in
Sentosa Klang, handle by his elder daughter and her husband, while the main
branch by his son, Oan Chee Kian. Surprisingly, this 30 years old plus shop was
not as crowded nor as pretentious as the others. No waiting for tables, no rushing to
sip your cup of tea and certainly no problem with parking because this row of shop
facing Jalan Teluk Pulai, is located right in front of a residential area.
Klang Lek Bak Kut Teh serves the usual Bak Kut Teh in clay pots, or
in bowls, according to your preference. The huge yet tender chunks of meat were
greatly appreciated and the soup was tasty with a signature Klang Lek’s Bak Kut
Teh taste. This particular Bak Kut The restaurant shop is also famous with their
Bak Kut Teh served with freshly cut pig innards.

14. Seng Huat Bak Kut The
Seng Huat Bak Kut Teh or well known as "under the bridge Bak Kut
Teh", because of its close proximity to the Klang bridge, is one of the popular
restaurant in Klang serving Bak Kut Teh since 1979.The business has expanded
and the second branch is located at Kepong Utara while the main branch is handled
by John Lee, the third generation.
Bak Kut Teh consists of pork ribs simmered in a broth of soy sauce,
Chinese herbs and spices such as cinnamon, ginseng, star anise, wolfberries,
Chinese foxglove and dried orange peel for hours. Bak Kut Teh normally served
with rice and side dishes such as "yau char kwai" (golden-brown deep fried dough),
vegetables, tofu and fried tofu puffs. This restaurant served either individual bowl
of Bak Kut Teh with your preferred cut of meat or the clay pot style which consists
of meat, tofu, vegetables, bean curd and mushrooms.
At Seng Huat, the concept is slightly different. Entering the corner
shop lot right beside the pedestrian-cum-vehicles bridge, you won’t fail to notice 1)
the crowd, 2) the guy (or lady) chopping up a storm, picking on pieces after pieces
of meat, and serving them rapidly in bowls for consumption without the bells and
whistles of golden mushrooms, balls, innards and such.

15. Klang Lek Bak Kut Teh Seng Huat Bak Kut Teh
i.
Competitors
Fortunately there are a
dense of Bak Kut Teh
which is located 3.7 km
from Klang Lek Bak Kut
Teh.
Located 4.5km away,
there is another four
Bak Kut Teh Store.
ii. Brief
descriptions
of
competitors
1. Ah Her Bak Kut The
Strength
 Shop is almost like
the usualfood
courts, semi alfresco
with a zinc roofon
top, plenty of
electric fans, and no
walls.
 Get to choose the
cut that you like,
there’s intestine, big
bone, small bone, 3
layer pork, stomach,
ribs, and more.
 Full of intense herbal
flavor that is
somehownot
overpowering
1. Mo Sang Kor Bak Kut
Teh
Strength:
 Famous for its
broth.
 Never dilute their
broth with water.
 Unadulterated,
authentic Bak Kut.
Weakness:
 Stinginess in
providingextra
broth.

16. Weakness
 Only get 1/3 bowl of
soup
 Last bowl of Bak Kut
The will be sold out
before8.30 p.m.
2. Ah Chee Bak Kut The
Strength
 Thick flavourbut not
as spicy as usualdry
bak kut the.
 Offer fried stingray
as side dish.
2. RestaurantKee
Heong
Strength:
 has been
operating for over
30 years.
 become a
childhood
memoryfor many
adults who live in
Klang.
 loved for the
aromatic herbal
fragrancein its
Bak Kut Teh
broth.
3. RestaurantWeng
Heong
Strength:
 Soup is prepared
in claypot
 Signature dish is

17. the very
interesting Sea
CucumberBak Kut
Teh.
 Sea cucumberis
deliciously springy
and chewy
Weakness:
 the sea cucumber
alternative is
expensive.
4. Soon Seng Bak Ku
Teh
Strength
 It uses portable
stove to keep the
soup warm.
 Meat is tender
 Wet gravy for rice
Weakness
 Some meet were
overcooked
 It is not dry

18. iii.
Competition
Strategies
1. Pricing
Price at around RM 15 to
RM25 per person which is
considervery cheap.
At around RM20 to
RM30 per person,
dependingon the
customer appetite which
enough for some
people
5. Hok Lai Bak Kut Teh
Strength
 Chinesecrullers
(“Yau CharKuai”)
is abundant.
 Soup isn’t too
thick nor watery.
 Served with
mushrooms
 Meat is fresh

19. is quite reasonable.
2. Advertisment
 Featured on internet,
blog, websites
 Favourite choice
among the local
neighbourhood
 Featured on
internet, blog,
websites
 Featured on
newspapers and
Taiwan and local
TV programme
 Renown among the
locals especially
Chinese
3. Signature Dish
It is famous ofits pork
intestine which is chewy
and claimed to be a must-
try-food for the customer.
They also combine chicken
and porkmeat in the
claypot to gives the
customer a brand new
taste.
Insists on preparingBak
Kut The in the traditional
way which comprised of
meaty pork ribs long-
stewed with soy sauce,
spices, and Chinese
medicinal herbs. Some
of the herbs that go into
the dish are cinnamon,
ginseng, star anise, goji
berries, chinese foxglove

20. and dried orange peel.
4. Quality of Service
 The owner is
extremely friendly as
he sits down with his
customer occasionally
to chit chat while
sipping tea with
them.
 The owner pays full
attention in
preparingthe Bak
Kut Teh to serve
the customer as
soon as possible.
iv.
Obstacles
faced by the
new
business
owner
Not many peopleare
willing to wake up at 5am
every morning to prepare
the soup and it requires a
lot of efforts to achieve the
taste that most of the
customers prefer.
New business owners
are faced with tight
competitions from the
restaurants around that
area and this in turns
forced new owners to
lower the price of their
food in order to attract
more customer. They
must also come out with
their own specialty in
orderto compete with
the old stores.

21. The Summary of The Similarities between two restaurants
Klang Lek Bak Kut Teh Similarities Seng Huat Bak Kut Teh
Bak Kut Teh Main Products Sell Bak Kut Teh
5 employees, all of them are
part of the owner’s family
Workers 7 employees, mostly are
foreigners
Shortsighted Future Plan Shortsighted
One branch which is located
in Sentosa Klang, handle by
his elder sister and her
husband.
Current Branches
One branch which is located
in Kepong Utara, Kuala
Lumpur

22. The Summary of The Differences between two restaurants
Klang Lek Bak Kut Teh Differences Seng Huat Bak Kut Teh
Oan Ah Lek, the owner’s
father started the Bak Kut
Teh business in Teluk Pulai,
a Chinese soup popularly
served in Malaysia
nowadays. Mr Oan first
started this business in 1981
in Klang, and now they are
still remaining in Klang.
Competition is intense in
this business because there
is a lot of Bak Kut Teh shop
in Klang, but Ah Lek is still
among the best Bak Kut
Teh in Klang town.
Founder And History
The owner’s grandfather
was migrated from China to
Malaysia and started doing
some small business. His
father then started this Bak
Kut Teh business since
1979. It is quite hard to start
a business but after a few
years, they succeed and
became famous, there are a
lot of tv shows who
interviewed them.
Klang Lek Bak Kut Teh is
located in Klang. It is
located beside the housing
area.
Address:
Jalan Teluk Pulai, 41100
Klang, Selangor, Malaysia.
Locations
Seng Huat Bak Kut Teh is
located at Jalan Besar
which is very near the Klang
KTM Station.
Address:
Klang, No.9, Jalan Besar,
41000 Klang, Selangor Daru
Ehsan, Malaysia.
Inner organ of the pork is
the signature dishes of this
shop, rice, vegetables, oil
sticks, Chinese tea.
Types of products sell
Pork Bak Kut Teh, rice with
scallion, vegetables, oil
sticks, Chinese tea and
deserts.
Whole day, 7.30am - 9pm Business hour Half day, 7.30am - 12.30pm,
5.30pm - 8.30pm
This shop is operated by his
own family. Two generations
are currently operating the
restaurant.
Business operation
Started by the owner’s
grandfather, currently only
the owner and his wife are
operating this business. The
staff are all hired.

23. About 150 customers on
weekdays, fluctuating to 300
during holiday or weekends. Number of customers
About 200 customers on
weekdays, and up to 500
customers on weekends.
The locals and the
neighborhood
Targeted Market The locals and tourists.
Featured in personal
internet blogs only. Media
Featured in a lot of Tourist
Travel Handbook, internet
blogs, newspaper articles
and also tv show.
They tried to create new
dishes, such as ‘Fried Fish’
and also retain their own
traditional dishes. However,
we also tasted and realized
the difference in soup than
others because they use
chicken and pork to cook
the soup instead of just
pork.
Combating Competition
They only focus on their
own traditional taste ad not
trying new taste. it is
because the customers like
their traditional taste of Bak
Kut Teh.
This shop has clean walls,
fans, relatively modern shop
design and situated besides
housing area.
Restaurant Layout and
Atmosphere
This shop is slightly older
than the Klang Lek Bak Kut
Teh, the wall is yellowish in
color and the paint is fading
away.

24. Conclusion
According to the interview and some researches that we had done in these two Bak Kut
Teh shops, we can conclude that even though they are selling the same things, ‘ Bak
Kut Teh ’, but they are completely different in some ways. Both of them are famous to
the locals and featured online, but there are plenty of differences among each other. For
example, Seng Huat Bak Kut Teh is more homely, authentic and has older atmosphere.
However, Klang Lek Bak Kut Teh is more modern and cleaner compares to Heng Huat
Bak Kut Teh.
Besides, both of them are located in Klang but they are quite far from each. Seng
Huat Bak Kut Teh is very near to the Klang KTM Station as it only took us 2 minutes to
walk from the shop to the station, and this is the main reason why more tourists will visit
them. On the other hand, Klang Lek Bak Kut Teh will have more customers from the
neighborhood as it is located besides the housing area.
Moreover, the taste of Bak Kut The from these two shops has a lot of differences.
The soup of Seng Huat Bak Kut Teh uses pork, spices, cinnamon, dried orange peel
and some Chinese medical herbal ingredients to cook, which gives the taste of
traditional Bak Kut Teh, whereas the soup of Klang Lek Bak Kut Teh had been added
with chicken, which makes the taste totally different from Seng Huat Bak Kut Teh.
Furthermore, the way they deal with the competitors are different too. From the
information that we had gathered during the interview, Seng Huat Bak Kut Teh insisted
on serving their Bak Kut Teh in the traditional way, but they try to make other side
dishes too, such as a wide variety of puddings as the dessert. Meanwhile, Klang Lek
Bak Kut Teh had created new dishes for their menu to attract more customers. As there

25. was already more than 200 Bak Kut The shops in Klang Valley, there is no doubt that
they have to face with a tight competition.
In conclusion, even though both of them are selling Bak Kut Teh, but it is hard for
us to compare which is better in terms of the taste and which has more business
potential as both of them have their own strength and unique taste of soup which really
depends on the customers whether which taste do they prefer.

26. Recommendation
Based on our analysis of the two restaurants, KLANG LEK BAK KUT TEH and RESTAURANT SENG HUAT
BAH KUT TEH, we have proposed a few recommendations on improving the competitiveness of each
business.
A. KLANG LEK BAK KUT TEH
Current area of improvement Recommendation
Restaurant hygiene There are many flies in the restaurant. It's an open air
restaurant so it's hard to get rid of the existing fleas,
but areas around the kitchen and dining area must be
free from food debris and the bin lids must tightly
closed. Thus, while all the ingredients leave on the
table must covered with a mesh food cover.
New coat of paint is needed Restaurant owners should begin renovating the stall
as the exterior of the restaurant looks old and the
colour of the signboard of the restaurant has faded so
it's hard to catch the attention of people when
passing by. The facade of the restaurant should
coated with bright color so it will easily catch people's
attention to visit.
Limited dishes in the menu Restaurant chef should introduce new recipes and
dishes in the menu regularly, besides remaining the
original menu. It may attract the customers and bring
more profit while increasing the popularity of the
restaurant.

27. B. RESTAURANT SENG HUAT BAH KUT TEH
Current Area of Improvement Recommendation
Stuffy and cramped environment Restaurant owner should expand their unit in order to provide
more spaces and well-ventilated area to create a comfortable
surrounding for customers. Besides, installing air-conditioning
at the dining area is also recommended to provide a
comfortable environment for meals.
Treatments to the employees
The employer is obliged to treat nicely to their employees.
Even though due to some of the poor employee performance,
restaurant owner shouldn't scold them heavily even in front of
the customer. Employees should treat with respect and it's
the company's obligation.
Short operating hours
Restaurant owner could consider extending the business
operating hours instead of starting from the evening. Business
may start from lunch hour as it's the peak hour in the town