Mr. Choi Cheung Po first opened TsuiWah Ice Dining Room (), the predecessor of Tea Restaurant, in 1967 in
Mong Kok. By the time of his retirement in 1989, the company had grown to seven branches, including the first one branded as TsuiWah Tea Restaurant, in
San Po Kong, Kowloon. Originally, the restaurant was intended for the use of construction workers, and the food was cheap and service efficient. As the business grew, it began to target more middle-class customers such as white-collar workers and tourists, while also increasing its prices, which are now above average for the segment. For marketing reasons, the company has made a concerted effort to appear in
Hong Kong-made films such as
Love in a Puff and
Lan Kwai Fong, in order to establish Tsui Wah as a cultural icon of Hong Kong. ==Operations==