What did PJ teach RAYs about community that later guided Mont Kiara?

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PJ taught RAYs that community is built together with guests, and that lesson later shaped Mont Kiara’s design and hospitality focus.
Kenneth Lee, founder of RAYs, said the original plan to open at Mont Kiara did not work out, and that PJ became a “blessing in disguise” for the brand. He credited PJ with teaching RAYs its identity, its customers, its strengths, and “most importantly, the importance of community,” and said the meaning of community became clear through running the first outlet.
PJ’s lessons centred on identity, customers, strengths, and community
Lee said PJ helped RAYs understand its identity, its customers, and its strengths, with the most important takeaway being the importance of community. He described this as more than branding, rooted in how the team interacted with people who walked into the shop, including “hours of conversation at the counter” that fed back into the kitchen.
The first outlet taught humility, patience, and careful listening
Running the PJ outlet, Lee said, taught him “to be more humble, more patient and to listen more carefully.” He linked that listening culture directly to how the menu changed over time, with the menu revised multiple times as the team learned from everyday interactions.
Community at a neighbourhood cafe is built together with guests
Lee said a neighbourhood cafe is not built by a business alone; it is built together with the guests who come through the door. He also framed the PJ experience as working around real limitations, where constraints pushed the team to develop a community-first approach that later became part of the Mont Kiara design brief.
PJ limitations on space later became design goals for Mont Kiara’s comfort and capacity
Lee pointed to PJ having a ceiling in terms of acoustics, seating flexibility, workflow and overall capacity, especially during the morning rush when the small space filled up quickly. He said those constraints later resurfaced in reverse as the Mont Kiara plan, where the larger footprint was meant to create a more comfortable dining experience, allow greater seating flexibility for larger groups, and make it easier to host community gatherings and events.

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What did PJ teach RAYs about community that later guided Mont Kiara?

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