In the 1980s, a couple came to Kuala Lumpur from Malacca with the simple idea of “making a living” and started a nasi lemak business.
To this day, the couple has opened more than 10 chain restaurants in the Kuala Lumpur and Selangor area with their crispy and juicy fried chicken, and has even expanded their business to northern Malaysia, east Malaysia and Vietnam. Now they have nearly 20 branches in Malaysia!
This couple is the founder of Lim Fried Chicken, Mr. Lim & Mrs. Lim! They started out as ordinary hawkers selling nasi lemak and fried chicken on a motorcycle. With their hardworking spirit, they finally founded the authentic Malaysian delicacy – Lim Fried Chicken (LFC) in 1983.
Generally, fried chicken is eaten with ketchup or chili sauce. But LFC’s fried chicken is different. The sauce is their own special sambal sauce. There are no fries or chili sauce. Even though it is a chain operation, LFC’s meals are cooked according to the founder’s exclusive recipe. Whether it is nasi lemak with fried chicken or rice noodle rolls with fried chicken, they are very much in line with the taste of Malaysians. LFC has become the first choice of many fried chicken connoisseurs and has won a lot of reputation and recognition!
At first, I couldn’t sell a single chicken in a day at a teahouse in Subang.
However, everything is difficult at the beginning. When the couple first set up a stall in a tea room in Subang Jaya, Selangor, their business was not ideal, and they could not even sell a chicken a day. Fortunately, the couple stuck to the stall and was committed to achieving what they wanted to do – to provide people with a hearty meal.
The booming business has attracted the envy of peers
Business became popular instantly, and the stall attracted the envy of others. Just when the couple thought everything was on track, they encountered some difficulties in renting a stall. The coffee shop only allowed them to operate from 2pm to 7pm. Obviously, this is an awkward operating time, which is past lunch but not yet dinner.
However, facing more challenges, Mrs. Lin became more flexible and turned this limitation into a unique selling point, insisting on keeping the business going. What’s more rare is that customers are willing to wait. They successfully overcame this difficulty and seized the opportunity to continue to grow their business, and their reputation in the city became unstoppable.
After enduring the strict conditions of renting a stall for 32 years, the Lins embarked on a new journey in 2015, leaving the small stall where they had successfully built their reputation and opening their own store in SS15, which had a larger space to provide better services to diners.
Although running a shop is very different from running a hawker stall, LFC is committed to meeting diners’ expectations in terms of food quality, dining environment and service, and takes diners’ feedback to heart for continuous improvement.
Seven years later, LFC has opened 15 branches in Klang Valley, successfully building a larger customer base. The delicious food has attracted diners to come back and brought in many new diners. Now, entering its 40th anniversary, LFC’s business has expanded beyond Kuala Lumpur and Selangor to North Malaysia, East Malaysia and overseas markets.
After 40 years, LFC’s menu remains the same as they always serve the best of cuisine. LFC is famous for its signature Malaysian-style fried chicken, and other dishes such as chee cheong fun, sambal sotong, curry lamb and nasi lemak have also received numerous rave reviews. In 2022, LFC was awarded the Shopee Super Favourite ShopeeFood Award.
From a humble stall to today’s famous chain brand, LFC embodies the spirit of perseverance of a brand. The founder hopes to promote this unique delicacy throughout Malaysia and even overseas, making LFC the most representative Malaysian food in the global fried chicken category.
References & Photo credit: KL FOODIE, Lake 8
