If you pass by RnRs on your route to the north or south, you may notice a huge restaurant sign with the words “Tu…Dia Pak Tam,” and the fragrance of Nasi Ayam lingers in the air, attracting many visitors. Truth be told, running a restaurant chain with over 12 outlets nationwide is not an easy journey, and everything must start somewhere.
Pak Tam’s story dates back to 1980 when he faced his fair share of challenges in growing the business. Ruslin Ibrahim, fondly known as Pak Tam, said success didn’t come easily without hard work and the courage to face risks.
According to Pak Tam, he didn’t get the chance to finish high school and migrated to KL without anything, even without his parents’ acknowledgement.
Pak Tam tried many kinds of businesses, but all failed due to his lack of business knowledge
He ventured into business as early as 20 years old, supplying imported meat in Pasar Borong Selayang. However, it only lasted for nine years due to customers failing to pay their debts after purchasing the meat.
Subsequently, he tried a different business, attempting to sell camera appliances to India, but it only lasted for a few months due to the high risk when facing customs. His business ventures all faced failure due to his lack of business knowledge.
Running a stall under a tree selling rojak and pasembor
Eventually, his wife called him to return to Malaysia to start a new business. In 1994, Pak Tam and his wife decided to run a stall at Selayang Flat, selling rojak and mi rebus. With just RM45 in his pocket, he started gaining more customers and easily made RM1,000 daily.
“During that time, people called me ‘Pak Tam Lima Ringgit’ because I only spent RM5 daily to refuel my car. It lasted for a few years until the local council decided to demolish my stall because I didn’t have a business license,” he said.
He took it as a challenge and decided to rent a restaurant in Selayang. In 2005, he established the first hospital cafe in Hospital Melaka. Slowly, the business expanded, opening its first RnR cafe at RnR Ulu Bernam.
Today, Pak Tam has over 12 restaurants, a mart bakery and a catering service
Starting as a restaurant in Selayang, he diversified the range of services into a restaurant chain, catering, mart bakery, and even training food manufacturers and entrepreneurs in F&B.
Passion for food is in Pak Tam’s family DNA, as his wife and all six children decided to join the family business. All of his six children have their responsibilities in managing subsidiary companies under Sirah Heritage Holdings Sdn Bhd. Some of the companies are Juara Saji Sdn Bhd, Jalinan Madu Sdn Bhd, Pak Tam Katering Sdn Bhd, and Halia Bara Sdn Bhd.
With over 30 years of experience in F&B, Pak Tam has successfully employed 300 staff to help him run 12 outlets in four states.
The latest venture is the establishment of a restaurant in Madinah
His latest achievement was the establishment of the Pak Tam restaurant in Madinah. It proves itself a top choice among those seeking Malaysian cuisine, especially Hajj and Umrah pilgrims coming from Malaysia. The restaurant has a seating capacity of 80 in one sitting.
Speaking about his plan for the company, Pak Tam said he is also actively seeking to expand to Tokyo and Osaka in Japan, and Seoul in South Korea.
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