Yang Ming Seafood owner reels in success after failures

Mr Keith Kang would wake up in the middle of the night to worry about his doomed businesses, but he bounced back and now runs multiple eateries

- Hedy Khoo

He lost $100,000 of his savings after five failed economy rice stalls, but Penang-born Keith Kang clawed his way back to become a million-dollar restaurateur.

The 41-year-old founder of popular zi char chain Yang Ming Seafood took his brand beyond coffee shops by opening his first full-fledged restaurant at VivoCity on Sept 26. The 250-seat kelong-themed space is his biggest investment to date, costing over $1m.

His other two seafood outlets are at a Bishan coffee shop and the canteen of an industrial building in Ubi Crescent.

He is also the owner and founder of the retro-themed Great Nanyang Heritage Cafe - with two outlets in Craig Road and Somerset - that went viral for its kopitiam vibes, kaya toast and soft-boiled kampung eggs.

The indefatigable entrepreneur, who runs another coffee shop, four economy rice stalls and three economy beehoon stalls in areas like Bukit Merah and Lorong Lew Lian, pins his fierce desire to succeed on growing up poor.

The youngest of three siblings remembers his family of five barely scraping by on his father's monthly salary of RM600.

They lived on a durian farm south-west of Penang, owned by Mr Kang's relatives, which his father helped to manage. There was neither running water nor electricity.

When Mr Kang was 13, the durian farm was sold. His sole breadwinner father lost his job. Since he was the youngest and showed the most academic promise, he was sent to study at a private Chinese school in Taiping. His parents moved with his elder siblings to Teluk Intan, a town about two hours away by car.

His parents became hawkers, serving coffee and breakfast from 5am and whipping up zi char dishes in the evenings until 11pm. His elder brother dropped out of school to help out. His elder sister, upon completing secondary school, found an office job to supplement the family's income.