SECRET RECIPE CAKES & CAFÉ SDN. BHD.

SECRET RECIPE CAKES & CAFÉ SDN. BHD. stands as one of Malaysia’s most iconic café brands — a company that transformed cake from an occasional treat into an everyday ritual.

Blending desserts with dining, it pioneered a lifestyle café concept that reshaped how Malaysians gather, celebrate, and socialise.

Its journey reflects a powerful truth — that brands endure when they become part of people’s moments.

Founder:

Dato’ Steven Sim

Current Leadership:

Group CEO: Patrick Sim

The leadership continues to expand the organisation with a focus on brand experience, product consistency, and regional scalability.

Some companies sell food — SECRET RECIPE sells moments.

In 1997, Malaysia’s café scene was still undefined, with coffee shops and bakeries operating separately without a unified social dining space.

Recognising this gap, Dato’ Steven Sim envisioned a concept where cakes, meals, and conversation could coexist.

The first outlet opened in SS2, Petaling Jaya, starting quietly with limited footfall, even being mistaken for a furniture shop.

Yet the concept proved its strength when the Marble Cheesecake gained recognition in 1998, drawing attention and customers.

From that turning point, the brand expanded through franchising, evolving from a single café into a scalable lifestyle concept.

Each outlet became more than a place to eat — it became a space for birthdays, reunions, and everyday connections.

From one modest beginning to a regional network, its journey reflects a powerful truth — that when experience meets emotion, it becomes habit.

Core Activities include:

• Operation and franchising of café outlets

• Production and distribution of cakes and desserts

• Casual dining and fusion food offerings

• Brand expansion across regional markets

The company’s operational model focuses on café operations, franchise scalability, dessert production, casual dining, and brand consistency. By combining cakes, meals, beverages, and lifestyle café environments, SECRET RECIPE CAKES & CAFÉ SDN. BHD. positions itself as both a dessert brand and a regional casual dining café chain.

Notable Offerings Include:

• Signature cheesecakes and chocolate cakes

• Fusion dining menu combining Asian and Western cuisine

• Lifestyle café environments in urban locations

• Franchise-driven café expansion model

These offerings have enabled SECRET RECIPE CAKES & CAFÉ SDN. BHD. to serve families, office workers, students, social groups, and celebration-driven consumers. Its cafés function as everyday dining spaces as well as familiar venues for birthdays, gatherings, casual meals, and dessert occasions.

1997 – First outlet in SS2, Petaling Jaya

1998 – Breakthrough via award-winning cheesecake

2000s – Expansion through franchising across Malaysia

2010s – Regional growth across Asia-Pacific markets

2020s – Established as one of Malaysia’s largest café chains

SECRET RECIPE CAKES & CAFÉ SDN. BHD. pioneered the lifestyle café concept in Malaysia by combining cakes, casual dining, and social gathering spaces under one brand.

The company has built one of the region’s largest homegrown café chains, demonstrating that Malaysian F&B brands can scale through product consistency, franchising, and brand experience.

Through its integration of desserts and full dining menus, Secret Recipe reshaped casual dining habits by making cafés suitable for both meals and celebrations.

Its growth has influenced Malaysia’s café and bakery sector, helping establish dessert-led dining as a mainstream lifestyle category across generations.

Some brands serve food — SECRET RECIPE serves memories.

From a quiet café to a regional lifestyle icon, its legacy is not defined by cakes alone, but by moments.

Its journey stands as a testament that when a brand becomes part of life’s celebrations, it becomes timeless.