KOTA KINABALU, June 22 — Laundry and luxury are two words that don’t go together.
After all, what is so luxurious about washing your dirty clothes, right?
In theory and concept alone, Laundroluxe is intriguing. While the idea of a laundry café is not entirely new, most proprietors often see it as just a convenient space for customers to get something to eat or drink while they wait for their laundry to be done.
But three best friends here are making an experimental go at taking two very different business ideas and marrying them into a shiny, polished new outlet that just opened on May 13.
Co-workers, best friends and now business partners Anthony Tham, Chin Ee Kai and Bryan Goh noticed the sudden proliferation of laundromats in town and thought it would be a good idea to jump onto the bandwagon.
But the three engineers wanted to offer more than the standard coin-operated laundromat and thought of providing a great waiting area and food.
Despite having lived in Kota Kinabalu for just over a year—and with no former business experience—the plucky trio forged ahead, fueled by their passion for food and determination.
What emerged was a concept outlet offering laundry service, along with high-end waiter service, a menu offering mostly Western food and quality drinks in a cosy but sophisticated ambience.
“When we first talked about it, it was because the oil and gas industry was facing an uncertain future so we wanted an alternative source of income. We then thought of the idea of a laundry business and that became our starting point.
“But as the idea developed, we just ran with it, and incorporated what we loved, learning along the way how to get a café business up and running,” said Tham, 29, from Kuching.
Renovations took two and a half months; it was a steep learning curve as they handled everything from purchasing furniture, equipment, and cutlery, hiring employees, dealing with contractors, coming up with the interior design and creating the menu.
“Sometimes our inexperience shows and we run into completely unexpected obstacles. But working with your best friends, and particularly with Ee Kai’s enthusiasm and positivity, we somehow survived that stage,” he said.
Although Tham insists they be called a café instead of a restaurant, the ambience — elegant table settings, waiter service, soft jazz music and a menu consisting of food items like foie gras and lobster surf and turf and a wine list — suggests they are more.
Prices are affordable for both laundry and food. Laundry is charged at RM15 for 15 kilos, while the food starts at RM5 for a traditional kaya toast breakfast, to RM108 for the surf and turf with slipper lobster and Australian tenderloin.
Working with chefs with five-star hotel work experience, they came up with a menu featuring Western classics but they also serve local cuisine like Hainanese chicken rice and nasi lemak.
“We try to do everything from scratch, the stock, pastas, sauces and the bread. I don’t think it’s particularly fancy, but it’s good quality food... that’s important to us,” he said.
Particular care was taken by Goh when perfecting the drinks menu as the partners knew the value of good beverages to accompany a meal, or to fill up waiting time.
The laundry part of the cafe is lined up along one side of the outlet, taking up about a quarter of the length, and is partitioned by a sliding glass door, as required by licensing regulations.
“We don’t necessarily expect our customers for the laundry and the café to be the same and we know it’s a risky idea, but we are committed to both,” said Goh.
The café is located in the central business district of Api-Api.
Laundroluxe
Ground floor, Lot 3G3 , Api-Api Center
88000 Kota Kinabalu
Business hours: Open Tuesday to Sunday 7.30am-midnight
Breakfast: 7.30am-10am
Lunch: 11am- 2pm
Dinner: 6pm-10.30pm (last order)
Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/Laundroluxe/
