Ho Kow Hainam Kopitiam was established by Mr Ho Kow’s father Ho Kee Soon in 1956. Originally called Soon Kee, its name was changed to its current one when the younger Ho took over the business. The older Ho came to Kuala Lumpur from the Hainan province in China in search of a better living and found himself selling Hainanese goodies like tea, soft-boiled eggs and toasts on Lorong Panggung in Chinatown.