As of 2022, the group has 51 branches[2] in Hong Kong, Macau, Mainland China and Singapore. The possibly best-known one was on Wellington Street near Lan Kwai Fong, but this has now closed and has surrendered its lease due to trading problems surrounding the COVID-19 epidemic. Affected by COVID-19 lock-downs, the group surrendered leases of many of its locations in Hong Kong; during peak-Covid in 2020, it closed twelve locations at once[3][4]
Background
Mr. Choi Cheung Po first opened TsuiWah Ice Dining Room (冰室), the predecessor of Tea Restaurant, in 1967 in Mong Kok. By the time of his retirement in 1989, the company had grown to seven branches, including the first one branded as TsuiWah Tea Restaurant, in San Po Kong, Kowloon.
Originally, the restaurant was intended for the use of construction workers, and the food was cheap and service efficient. As the business grew, it began to target more middle-class customers such as white-collar workers and tourists,[5] while also increasing its prices, which are now above average for the segment.[6][1] The company also targeted locations in Hong Kong's central business districts, despite higher rents.[7]
For marketing reasons, the company has made a concerted effort to appear in Hong Kong-made films such as Love in a Puff and Lan Kwai Fong, in order to establish Tsui Wah as a cultural icon of Hong Kong.[8]
Operations
Since 2008, Tsui Wah has used a central kitchen to supply branches within a radius of approximately 200 kilometres (120 mi) or delivery time of two hours, in order to ensure operating efficiency and quality and the benefits of centralised purchasing.[9]
Speed of service is a key operating parameter: from the time customers come in to the time they pay their bill is planned to take place within 40 minutes.
Tsui Wah has a communal seating arrangement, with customers expected to share a table with others during busy periods. The tables are also packed more closely, enabling the restaurants to generate more business per square metre.[10]
The company's head office is located in the Tsui Wah Group Centre (翠華集團中心; 翠华集团中心) in Ngau Tau Kok, Kowloon.[11]
The first unit outside Hong Kong was opened in Shanghai in 2009, followed by outlets in Macau (2011) and Wuhan (2012).
^"Contact Us." Tsui Wah Group. Retrieved 17 August 2014. "Tsui Wah Group Office Address: Tsui Wah Group Centre, 50 Lai Yip Street, Ngau Tau Kwok, Kowloon." – Traditional Chinese: "九龍牛頭角勵業街50號翠華集團中心" – Simplified Chinese: "九龙牛头角励业街50号翠华集团中心"
