A restaurant in SS15, Subang Jaya, was struggling when its owner decided to seek help from feng shui practitioner Alan Chong.
What followed was not an expensive makeover filled with lucky ornaments, crystals or elaborate rituals. Instead, Alan recommended several strategic changes to the restaurant’s layout, including its cashier, kitchen and main entrance.
The business reportedly began improving after the changes were introduced.
“Today, in 2026, the business is still operating successfully. This is the true test of feng shui.”
The Restaurant Feng Shui Problem Began After A Market Was Built
The case began in 2017 when one of Alan’s students was hired to advise the restaurant owner. Despite his efforts, the business did not improve, and the owner gradually began losing confidence.
By January 2018, the student returned to Alan for help. After reviewing the case, Alan asked one important question:
“Did the business start having problems after the market was built nearby?”
Until then, nobody had connected the restaurant’s declining performance with the nearby development. However, the owner confirmed that business had become worse after the market was built.
“That gave me the answer already,” Alan said. “Once the root cause became clear, we started to make strategic corrections.”
According to Alan, understanding changes in the surrounding environment was crucial to this restaurant feng shui assessment.
The First Change Was Simply Moving The Cashier
Alan’s first recommendation was straightforward: relocate the cashier.
There were no major renovations at this stage, and the owner was not asked to purchase any feng shui items.
“No lucky charms, no statues and no expensive feng shui products,” Alan said. “It was just a change in a critical business function. That was all.”
Several months later, the owner reported an improvement. Her confidence grew so much that she agreed to proceed with a complete renovation of the restaurant, which required the business to close temporarily for several months.
“Good feng shui is not about forcing clients to spend unnecessary money,” Alan said. “Good feng shui creates results, and when people see results, their confidence naturally follows.”
Only Three Restaurant Feng Shui Changes Were Made
Renovation work began on 18 June 2018 after an auspicious date was selected.
Alan and his student recommended only three major changes:
The kitchen layout was redesigned, the main entrance was relocated from the side to the centre, and the cashier was repositioned.
The entrance was also placed at a slight angle based on their feng shui calculations.
“In total, there were only three major changes: the kitchen, the main door and the cashier,” Alan explained. “That was it. Nothing else.”
There were no fortune ornaments, magical objects, crystals or complicated rituals involved in the restaurant feng shui changes.
For Alan, feng shui is about understanding how qi flows through a property and arranging important areas to receive what practitioners consider auspicious energy.
“When you are able to tap into auspicious qi, naturally, the business can grow over time,” he said.
He added that an unsuitable layout could create obstacles for a business, regardless of the quality of its products or the talent of its owner.
The Owner Said Business Was Booming
The restaurant reopened in July 2018. By the end of the month, the owner confirmed that business was improving.
Another update came in August 2018.
“The client said that business was really booming, to the point that she was thinking of installing a larger fountain at the back,” Alan recalled.
The owner later became one of his student’s strongest supporters and reportedly recommended several other clients to him.
However, the most convincing result of the restaurant feng shui changes came several years later.
Five Years Later, Customers Were Still Queuing
In 2023, Alan invited one of his clients to have breakfast with him at the restaurant.
The client arrived first and sent Alan a photograph showing a long queue of customers outside. This was already five years after the renovation.
“When I arrived, I told him to look carefully as he walked through the main door,” Alan said. “I asked him whether he noticed that there was a small angle at the entrance.”
The adjustment was not immediately obvious, but the client later confirmed that the door had indeed been installed at a slight angle.
“It was not a sudden spike or something that lasted for only one or two months,” Alan said. “It had already been five years, and the business was still thriving.”
Restaurant Feng Shui Results That Continued Into 2026
Eight years have now passed since the renovation.
During that period, the restaurant survived the COVID-19 pandemic, shifts in consumer behaviour and major economic changes. Despite these challenges, Alan said the business remains operational and continues serving customers in 2026.
“The world has changed. The pandemic came and went, and the economy changed a lot,” he said. “But the business is still there. It is still surviving.”
Alan noted that the transition into Period 9, a new cycle in Chinese metaphysics, could mean that minor adjustments may be required. However, this would depend on the property and should be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.
What Is Eight Years Of Business Performance Worth?
For Alan, this restaurant feng shui case demonstrates why the value of feng shui advice should not be judged only by its initial cost.
“When people ask me, ‘How much does feng shui cost?’ I think the wiser question is, ‘What is the value of eight years of sustained business performance?’” he said.
He encouraged business owners to consider the value of keeping a company operating for many years, as well as the potential cost of failing within the first two.
“What is the value of eight years of sustained business performance to you?” Alan asked.
“Or what is the cost if your business does not even survive for two years? I think business owners are smart enough to do the calculation.”
Alan also stressed that his approach to restaurant feng shui does not involve selling lucky items or using fear to pressure clients into making expensive changes.
In his view, genuine feng shui requires practitioners to study the external surroundings, internal layout and movement of qi before recommending practical changes.
“True feng shui is about understanding the qi externally, internally and how it flows,” Alan said. “From there, you can make the right improvements for the business.”
“I am here to offer solutions. I am not here to sell lucky items, and I am not here to sell fear. If a client says no, I respect the decision and leave it as it is.”
For more info on Alan Chong’s practice, visit Feng Shui Mechanics.
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