You can actually tell from the date that it's been quite a time ago. Crazy working days have dried all my subjective initiatives, except for I have to spare a little effort to be aware of what I've been doing everyday. This is the most important thing that demands absolute seriousness.
Hope it's not too impossible to enjoy the feature. =)
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Perfect match
Ellen Wang
Monday, June 28, 2010
If asked what is their most memorable day, most would say, without hesitation, it was their wedding day.
In the company of parents, relatives and close friends, a couple exchange vows and pledge eternal devotion to each other.
The solemnity then gives way to celebration and the heart of the joyous occasion is the banquet.
Chinese couples who stick to tradition serve a feast to guests in a dragon and phoenix-bedecked hall.
These days, however, many prefer a Western-style hotel banquet.
But what about a touch of tradition in a modern setting?
This combination of old and new is the brainchild of Cheung Tze-ho, chairman and chief executive of Choi Fook Holdings.
In 2006 he opened Choi Fook Royal Banquet in Mong Kok, the first Chinese restaurant in Hong Kong specializing in Western-style weddings.
Two weeks ago the sixth Choi Fook Royal Banquet, this one equipped with a mahjong parlor, opened in Wan Chai.
Many of the 40,000 couples who tie the k
Founded in 2000, Choi Fook started as one of thousands of Chinese restaurants that help make Hong Kong a gourmet's paradise.
At first Cheung did not have a clear goal in mind. All he had was sheer determination.
"I have to succeed this time," he recalled pledging to himself back then.
Realizing that competition is tough in the catering trade, Cheung had to offer something different to survive.
With an eye on market demand, he surveyed the wedding banquet scene.
"The dragon and phoenix background has long been outdated. But food quality in hotel banquets, although more expensive, can never be as good as those served in Chinese restaurants," Cheung said.
So he decided to make the best of both worlds, and over the years built up a specialized business that rakes in HK$300 million a year.
Each of the six Choi Fook Royal Banquet restaurants has a unique theme. One has an added attraction - a mahjong parlor.
And in Tsim Sha Tsui, Choi Fook operates Voila PartyHouse, where revelers can enjoy drinks and a barbecue after the banquet.
Cheung only studied up to Form Three and worked as a cleaner, fitness instructor and courier.
Then at the age of 25, he ventured into the restaurant trade in partnership with his father. But the business collapsed after only a few months.
In the following three years he was a truck driver, but even behind the steering wheel he kept dreaming of becoming a boss.
"I was born to be a boss," Cheung recalled. "All I could think of was not to work for others for long. I had to be my own boss someday."
Cheung was good as his word. He parted company with his truck and with some partners opened the first Choi Fook restaurant in North Point in 2000.
"I don't believe in failure. There are just ups and downs, and all of them make me stronger," said Cheung. "If I hadn't made mistakes when I was in the restaurant business the first time, I wouldn't know how to make the right decision now."
But the road ahead wasn't always smooth for the former truck driver. Even after the first Choi Fook Royal Banquet welcomed newly weds he faced some setbacks.
In a bid to blend East and West, the restaurant's decor was predominantly white to create a church-like atmosphere.
It was definitely going against tradition, as Cheung soon realized. "It was badly received in the beginning, especially among the older generation. We suffered losses for three months before we made a profit."
But slowly the idea of holding wedding banquets in Chinese restaurants with western decorations began to be accepted.
As Choi Fook's success blossomed, rivals latched on to the idea. Many Chinese restaurant began adopting Western themes. And hotels alarmed that their business was being hit cut their prices.
"Originally we charged 30 percent less than Western hotels. Now we're 20 percent cheaper," Cheung said.
But his aim is to tap the medium to high-end market. "We provide high- quality food and services to those who want top-quality weddings."
Cheung knows he now has many competitors, but he says with a shrug: "There's nothing to be worried as long as we always try to serve our customers in the best possible way."
He added that service is the most crucial aspect in the restaurant business, and that is something his rivals cannot copy.
As part of the service, Choi Fook offers free advice to couples preparing for matrimony.
"We understand that people can be really nervous when they're getting married. That's why we've hired certified wedding planners to provide our customers with all kinds of suggestions, including how to get their photographs taken, hotels and other wedding details."
This ambition to fully capture the wedding market prompted the introduction of the Voila PartyHouse and mahjong parlor to provide a one-stop wedding service.
All these seem to signal that Choi Fook Holdings is gradually moving from being a restaurant chain to a specialized wedding caterer.
According to Cheung, wedding banquets account for 60 percent of Choi Fook's total business, the remaining being normal restaurant business.
Cheung admits that in the past 10 years his goals have changed all the time.
"In 2000, my ambition was to open one new branch each year. But now I just want to strengthen Choi Fook's position in the wedding banquet market.
"People think of Tao Heung first when they talk about hot pot. That's what I want to accomplish with Choi Fook. I want Choi Fook to be the first name that comes to people's minds when they think of wedding banquets." Cheung said.
He said the long-term plan was to let Choi Fook go public. "But I'm not in a rush," Cheung emphasized.
"Any listing will have to come after Choi Fook has secured the leading position in the wedding banquet industry. I want people to realize that a restaurant stock can also be a blue chip."
