Meet Christopher Kwok of Hey Hey in Echo Park

Today we’d like to introduce you to Christopher Kwok.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Christopher. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
Six years ago, I was in LA for vacation and catching up with some friends at a tea house. I was sitting there waiting for my drink and wondered why I could only get these types of dessert drinks and teas when I was home. I grew up in the San Gabriel Valley of Los Angeles but went to prep school in Boston, college in Pittsburgh, and had been working in DC for a few years at the time. During that twelve year span, I’d always have to wait until a holiday or a break to come home and get these drinks. It was in that moment of waiting where the idea of bringing these types of drinks to other markets was born.

Ever since I was a little kid, I’ve loved drinks – from virgin pina coladas to sodas. I still remember the first time I tried the Starbuck’s coffee frappuccino in 5th grade – I fell in love. I’m an only child, so to compensate, I would surround myself with friends and we’d hang out at each other’s houses. Hangouts at houses transitioned to hangouts at tea houses, popularized in Asia and prevalent in the San Gabriel Valley and later, coffee shops when the 3rd wave cafe movement hit.

As a drink and vibe enthusiast, I loved the tea house menu, the specialty coffee shop ambiance, and the cocktail bar experience. I frequently found myself splitting time between these establishments and after years of frustration, I set out on a journey to combine these unique elements into one place. I continued to work full time while maturing the idea into a possible business. During that span, I took a sabbatical and worked at a tea house to get my first real hands-on experience. It was after that sabbatical that I decided to make this my career and set out on a search for a physical space. From that sabbatical to today, it took 3 more years an awesome team (shout out to Hey Hey’s creative director – Thomas Dang) before I was able to serve my first real drink to the public.

Has it been a smooth road?
It took nearly 6 years to get Hey Hey open, and it has not been a smooth road. In the early stages, I knew that I had to get some hands-on experience and started applying to tea houses and coffee shops. My first mistake was thinking that becoming a barista would be a walk in the park. For the record, I have rejected a total of 73 times; 3 times from the same place. Eventually, my persistence was rewarded ever so handsomely with an unpaid trainee position. None of my previous work experience prepared me for what was to come during this three-year journey as I brewed, poured, and mopped my way through two Asian teahouses, two specialty coffee shops, and a Japanese creperie. From making boba-egg pudding-milk tea drinks to washing dishes to dealing with picky customers – I entered a new world of entitlement and immediate unfiltered feedback.

After my first stint as a barista, the 3 months during my sabbatical from consulting, I naively thought I would open up my store within 6 months. Well, I ended up not finding a space until 2.5 years later. I quickly realized that securing a storefront isn’t as straightforward as merely signing a lease in a good location. I had to pitch my concept to landlords/developers/brokers and compete against other prospective tenants for a chance to pay rent – it felt like I was in the Twilight Zone or Shark Tank. The concept was hard for people to envision because there was nothing like it, it wasn’t a boba shop, it wasn’t a coffee shop, and it wasn’t a bar. No landlord/developer wanted to invest or take the risk of putting this out there.

Once I finally signed a lease for a space in the DTLA Arts District, I resigned from my 7-year career out of undergrad. I was extremely excited, finally a location to start building out this dream and for people to experience tangibly what I’ve been trying to describe for years. However, I was in for a big let down, for space ended up not being viable with the number of upgrades required by the city.

This propelled me into a year of pure hands-on experience by working in various kitchens and hospitality establishments. This was a blessing in disguise since it allowed me to further tighten the brand and gave me much needed industry expertise to actually operate a business such as this. However, it was a humbling experience that I would wish not to repeat again.

I signed the lease to space we’ve opened in 2016 and it took about 18 months to build out.

So, as you know, we’re impressed with Hey Hey – tell our readers more, for example, what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
Hey Hey is a contemporary tea house and common room. Its mission is to combat loneliness in the digital age where we are so connected, yet disconnected. Because of this, we designed the place to make it easy for people to connect, whether it’s through our various interactive installations or through our intimate events. We serve as the neighborhood’s living room that also serves bomb beverages and shareable bite-sized wonders.

Hey Hey is unique because we are introducing popular niche culturally significant drinks into a hip demographic market without losing the drink’s authenticity. Guests unfamiliar with the menu will be more willing to try seemingly foreign things (such as red bean, taro, jellies), while those familiar will have a closer option to getting it. In a time where coffee dominates, just our non-coffee menu is a large differentiator and welcomed alternative to the neighborhood. Our firm stance on breaking down barriers to meet and exclusion of wi-fi is a refreshing surprise to our guests, but they love that there is an option to be at a place where you can just say “hey” without it being awkward. It’s also been a nice surprise to see the number of people interacting with these shared activities. The types of events we’re incorporating are also a refreshing alternative to the typical “open mic nights” that are common to cafes over the past decade. Hey Hey’s combination of elements from various cultures and experience creates a unique experience in itself. One simple thing that sets us apart is the fact that we open late (11 pm on weekdays and 12 am on weekends) and is not a bar or restaurant.

I would say a big difference between Hey Hey and any other cafe is that our menu includes very popular culturally significant drinks that have been adjusted in its ingredients, presentation, and flavor proportion. We are very conscious and intentional about our types of guests; therefore we are very sensitive to introducing the menu in familiar ways to break down any barriers one might have of trying it – everything from how we term and describe our menu, to the living room vibe and branding of how the drinks look. We are also different because apply the same focus on the space and various interactive elements as we do to our menu.

Most coffee shops out there mainly serve coffee, while we have two drinks on the menu that use coffee as a component. Most cafes out operate more like a restaurant, while we serve light shareable snacks. Most tea houses out there de-prioritize the importance of their space and have a brand that identifies with only one demographic. In this era, public spaces have turned into public libraries and remote workplaces. Hey Hey aims to inject the community with an alternative, bringing back some of the behaviors of early cafe/tea house culture where people were building and strengthening relationships, and if they were to work, they’re brainstorming or vision planning. I’m happy to say that when people do work at Hey Hey, the latter is what it is.

Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
I love that LA has many worlds within one city. Each part of town has its own identity and vibe and it makes LA that much more dynamic and inspiring. One of the unfortunate things about this city is our public transportation, which makes it challenging for people to get from one part of town to another easily. You basically need to plan out which part of town you want to be in for at least half the day.

Pricing:

• Dessert Beverages: $7
• Refreshing Beverages (Mocktails): $6
• Pastries (Chinese Savory Empanadas): $5
• Toastettes: $8
• Jerky: $4
• Steeped Eggs: $4
• Swag: $Pricing In Store

Contact Info:

• Address: Hey Hey
  1555 W Sunset Blvd.
  Los Angeles, CA 90026
• Website: www.heyheydrinks.com
• Phone: 213-278-0689
• Email: [email protected]

Image Credit:
Justin Joe, Kevin Vu Kim

Getting in touch: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.