In a country where only a few Chinese coffee shops can attract the non-Chinese customers, the Kluang Station stands out from the rest and sets itself apart from others.

The popular coffee house is frequently swarmed by people from all walks of life and races who desire to have a taste at its well-known hand roasted coffee, toasted bread with homemade kaya, and half boiled eggs.

It all began way before the independence Malaya, in 1938 to be exact, when a Chinese immigrant by the name of Lim won a tender to open up a canteen cum coffee shop next to the Kluang railway station.

From a humble beginning with only a handful of customers everyday, Kluang Station cafe grew from just a regular hang out place for local town folks to a popular, household name, and the popularity of the coffee shop eclipsed that of the railway station itself.

The business has been championed for 3 generations, with today’s expansion spearheaded by the great grandson, JJ Phun. Banking on the original Kluang Station legacy, JJ sensed an opportunity to grow the business and give the real Kluang Station experience, only better, to residents throughout the country. He approached a partner, and the two began conquering coffee lovers’ hearts with the opening of new stores, one after another.

The first outlet opened in One Utama was a roaring success and encouraged by the reception of the public, the two opened more shops in Damansara, Melaka, Ampang, Bandar Kinrara, and the latest in Kuching. Every outlet is designed in such a way that the heritage of the original Kluang Station shop is maintained – the signboard, chairs, table, color and spaces. Most importantly, the taste of the food in every outlet must be served to perfection, just like how the customers in Kluang taste it.

When every other traders and business owners decided it’s time to increase the price of their goods and services in response to the recent astronomical fuel price hike, there are a handful of souls who are still committed to taking care of the welfare of public and their customers.

One of them is Khalid Ahmad, a restaurant owner nearby the jetty Kuala Kedah, which is named Kedai Makan RM2. Unlike others, Khalid chooses to maintaining his rate of RM2 which is inclusive of meals and drink. Believe it or not, that is the price he has been charging since 20 years ago, and he does not intend to increase the price, even at the testing time now.

For one meal, a customer can have a white rice, together with dishes like fish, chicken, meat and vegetables. And the RM2 price tag also includes drink too!

Because of his generosity, a number of people actually insisted to pay more than RM2 as the price is considered too cheap considering the increasing cost of living. Most of his first time customers would be put in state of shock when first knowing the price he offered.

Apart from the regular customers coming in to his Kedai Makan RM2, there are also nearby factories which subscribe to his catering service, which he charges only additional 50 cents for delivery fee.

God bless him.

Story and image: Utusan Malaysia

To those full time employees, don’t get me wrong here. I don’t mean that you should tender your resignation soon.

By all means, continue to work and continue to give your top performance for the company. What I mean is that, while you’re busy and consistently producing your best effort, pleasing your boss and making your company richer and richer, you should seriously start considering minding your own business right now, if you have not done so.

In other words, find other ways to give you income in addition to your full time job. And this can be achieved via doing part time or freelance jobs, involve in small scale investments (legal!), or any other job according to your preferred work schedule.

Here are 5 reasons why you need to do so:

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