bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

hooksAmpRedirectArticle

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

paywallTypes

createdDate

publishedDate

sponsorType

urlAlias

moreOnThisArticles

commentCount

authorLocations

authors

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

articleSpeeches

socialHeadline

headline

images

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

sponsor

pdfFiles

seriesReverseOrder

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

readingTime

customTimezone

liveContents

I grew up in Singapore. I went to Australia for college. I came to Hong Kong about 10 years ago.
It wasn’t like, “When I grow up, I want to run hotels and restaurants.” I was pretty clueless. I did the typical business administration degree.
I wanted to be a gymnast. I thought it would be cool.
My family bought a building. My dad said, “Come to Hong Kong. Figure it out.” That was when Jia was established.
I didn’t know what I was doing half the time. I made a lot of mistakes along the way. But I did better than I would have thought.
I met Jason Atherton years ago at a friend’s dinner in Singapore. He wanted to come to Hong Kong. I asked if he was interested in talking to us, and that’s how it all started.
Aberdeen Street Social was always the plan. We wanted to open something more substantial. We introduced him to the market first with 22 Ships and Ham and Sherry.
Chachawan is one of the projects that I feel close to. It was a collaboration between the chef and the staff. We didn’t hire a designer—we got it up and running in three months.
There are hipsters, the office crowd, and old people who think it’s hip to eat there. You don’t have to dress up or anything: just go and have fun.
I met Alan [Lo, husband and founder of The Press Room Group] as we were both strapped into being judges—a friend of both our mothers owned a jewelry shop and ran a competition for youth in Hong Kong.
No, it was not love at first sight. We were friends for a long time.
Oh, we talk shop all the time. We own Duddell’s together. We’re still married, so it’s been OK so far!
Alan is a creative and impatient person. I’m a bit more on the business side. I guess we make quite a good partnership.
The best part of running a restaurant group is seeing the satisfaction of your customers.
You have to really understand your market and sincerely give the customer the best you can.
Don’t do it just because you think it’s going to be fun. There are easier ways to make money.
The worst part is people management. As much as you try to keep the standard consistent, people are erratic. Maybe they’re in a bad mood, or something has happened in the family. It affects them, whether you like it or not.
Hong Kong is unlike Europe, or in the US, where people view it as a career. They’re not far-sighted enough to see that “If I work here long enough, I will be able to create something really great.”
As much as it is excruciating, I look at OpenRice reviews. We have meetings about them. You have to judge if it is legitimate— some people just want free stuff out of it.
I do feel like people judge us to a higher standard. Sometimes, I’m like, “It’s so unfair! Why do you have to do that?” But it is what it is.
When we first opened 208 [in Sheung Wan], my staff said, “Are you sure? There’s no one around here.”
We took risks, because we couldn’t afford the rent.
We must have done something right. People were moving outwards. Everyone was looking for a neighborhood joint.
I just had a baby four months ago. It’s a complete nightmare trying to lose the weight.
Of course, I have taken time off. But I’m not an obsessive mom. Balancing it out is not rocket science.
I started working for the family before I was 21. They were my toughest years: figuring out what I wanted to do.
Failures are important, for someone to be able to grow.
Ideas don’t just drop from the sky. It’s from experience, from talking to people. Once you stop, that’s the end of your career.
My favorite thing about Hong Kong is the buzz. But it can feel claustrophobic after a while, with too much on at the same time.
It’s ironic: the buzz and how overwhelming it is, are basically the same thing.
When I first moved here, I really hated it. But it grows on you. It offers what other cities don’t have.
I’ve learned not to get too emotional about the business. Selling Jia was quite a big step. But at the same time, that’s business. You have to move on.
 
Check out new restaurant Aberdeen Street Social at G/F, PMQ, 35 Aberdeen St., Central, 2866-0300.


Best of the Best: Quotes from the Most Prominent People in Hong Kong

Designer Comma Leung is Crowdfunding to Make Wallets for the Blind

What Do I Need to Know to Survive in Hong Kong?

HK Mag Staff Pick Their Favorite Eats for the Last Time

HK Magazine Archive

Yenn Wong

Magazines

Restaurateur Yenn Wong made her start a decade ago by launching Jia, Hong Kong’s first boutique hotel. She’s gone on to open 208 Duecento Otto, 22 Ships, Ham and Sherry, Duddell’s, Chachawan, and her most recent project, Aberdeen Street Social. She tells Andrea Lo about her partnership with chef Jason Atherton and reflects on her achievements.
