Zi Char with a Smile

Paul Liew of Keng Eng Kee Seafood is future-proofing the family business by focusing on hospitality to keep customers coming back.

- KAREN TEE

Forget the cliches about the surly hawker. At zi char stalwart Keng Eng Kee Seafood (KEK Seafood), an unassuming casual eatery that serves home-styled Chinese dishes on the ground floor of a housing block in Bukit Merah — and more recently, at Safra Tampines — good service with a ready smile is a given.

In fact, Paul Liew — one of three third-generation siblings helming the family business — says a friendly greeting is “standard operating procedure” for the crew. To go the extra mile, he challenges his staff to make customers feel like they are being welcomed into a home.

“Hospitality is about how we relate to the public and our regulars,” says Liew, who is in charge of business development. A familiar face at the Bukit Merah outlet, the 42-year-old often drops by to ensure things are running smoothly and always has time for a chat with customers.

Liew was a finalist at this year's Singapore Tourism Awards for Customer Service Excellence for F&B — a rare occasion when a representative from a casual food establishment went up against those from hotels and restaurant groups. He adds that this is a source of motivation and that his approach to hospitality is on the right track.