From a canteen, Lim Vun Chan now runs two seafood restaurants, a bakery and food kiosks, writes Olivia Miwil
FROM operating a canteen with 12 tables to running two restaurants with over 200 workers, Lim Vun Chan has come a long way in the seafood business.
The 59-year-old is one of the first restaurateurs in Kota Kinabalu with tanks of live seafood.
Lim’s Port View restaurants are a household name.
They are featured in local publications as well as internationally by magazines and television shows.
When Lim started as a canteen operator near the port (hence the name) in Anjung Samudera back in 1984, he was neither a cook nor a foodie. But curiosity got the better of him.
Looking at the abundant supply of seafood and the increasing number of regular patrons from the nearby offices, he saw the opportunity to expand. He also saw the potential of Sabah as a tourism magnet, with all the promotional efforts by the State in the last two decades.
However, he was ridiculed and told he would go bankrupt when he talked about opening a seafood restaurant.
“That was 20 years ago. I held on to my dream that Sabah is a special place. I believed Kota Kinabalu would be a popular tourist destination and seafood would be one of the attractions,” he says, adding that though the food business is a respectable profession, not many share his opinion.
“Even my lowest-paid worker earns more than RM1,000 per month. I am all for improving the industry standards and I send my employees to take part in culinary competitions for exposure and experience.
“I hope the government will introduce more programmes to develop culinary skills among youths and not just encourage them to pursue professional courses.”
With more seafood restaurants today, Lim admits that the industry has become more competitive, so he has diversified his business to include three bakeries and 20 kiosks under the same name.
“We need to take the initiative to stay on top of our game,” he says, adding that travelling and networking with other restaurants abroad are the key to his sustaining his success.
“I have visited many restaurants around the world and made friends with the operators. We share ideas on food preparation, restaurant set-up and service among other things. We have to adopt fresh ideas and make changes if necessary and listen to the clients’ needs,” he adds.