These 5 S’poreans end their high-flying careers to run their own restaurant businesses

Food has always played an important role in Singaporean culture. From street vendor centers to Michelin-starred cafes and restaurants, there is a wide variety of dining options on our tiny island.

The great importance attached to culinary experiences in Singapore has prompted the government to make efforts to ensure that the culture of street vendors does not die out.

Singapore street vendors have long faced the problem of not being able to hand over their stalls to anyone if they decide to pull out.

This prompted the National Environment Agency (AEN) to announce a new system that will allow retired and unsubsidized street vendors to hand over their positions to non-family and non-family members.

Despite the challenges of working in the food and beverage industry, there are still some who are ready to take a leap of faith and venture into the industry.

From cafes to street vendors, here are five Singaporeans who are quitting their comfortable jobs to start their own food and drink businesses:

1. Terrible chocolate

Mention Awfully Chocolate and Singaporeans will immediately think of the brand’s delicious chocolate cakes.

It was started in 1998 by former lawyer Lyn Lee, who dreamed of making great chocolate cakes.

After Lyn couldn’t find the “ultimate chocolate cake,” she quit her legal profession to open her own bakery.

The brand now has 14 stores in Singapore. It also owns a subsidiary, Sinpopo Brand, which was founded in 2013 as “Ode to Katong” and for the preservation of the neighborhood.

Although none of its outlets in Singapore are franchises, the chocolatier has taken advantage of franchise opportunities in overseas markets such as Hong Kong and China, where the brand has built an empire.

In 2007, the first franchise store was opened in Shanghai. Terribly Chocolate franchises now exist in Chinese cities like Beijing, Guangzhou, Hangzhou, Nantong, Wuhan and others.

2 exemples

Kopifellas had humble beginnings as an independent stand at Timber + in 2017.

In just four years he rose to three positions and now appoints an entire cafeteria for himself.

After graduating from National University of Singapore (NUS) Business School, founder Terry Neo worked as a merchant at Citibank. In an interview, he told job search portal Glints that later he “got a little tired of the corporate world.”

He was also motivated by his love of coffee and his passion for maintaining local traditions. He therefore gave up his banking career to try to become a street vendor.

The success of Kopifellas’ Timber + Outlet has resulted in the opening of two more stores in Toa Payoh and the Beauty World Center.

This prompted Terry and his co-founders to launch FellasCube, a traditional café by day and a modern bistro bar by night.

3. Hakka Hamcha and Yong Tou Fu

After six years as an office manager in a multinational corporation, Michelle Yee, 36, left the company to run her own business.

Michelle and her husband Alan Kok serve the traditional Hakka Thunder Tea rice dish at the Chinatown Complex Food Center.

Alan had also quit his job as an engineer to join Michelle. As first-time street vendors, the couple encountered a number of challenges.

They both had no experience in the restaurant industry and were self-taught.

The booth didn’t go live until 2018, but has already made a name for itself with the NEA’s Promising New Hawker Award.

Fourth 545 Whampoa shrimp noodles

Li Ruifang is the third generation owner of 545 Whampoa shrimp noodles in Tekka market.

The 33-year-old finance graduate worked for a multinational for about four years before taking over the business from her father.

The roots of the family business go back to the 1950s when her grandfather started selling it on the streets of Whampoa. This is why Ruifang now uses a recipe that spans three generations.

Even if you haven’t started the job from scratch, managing a peddler job after changing jobs in a company is not an easy task.

According to food blogger Seth Lui, the young street vendor wakes up at the wrong time at 2:30 a.m. to prepare for the stand opening at 6:30 a.m.

5. Li Na Fish Ball Noodles

Jeevan Ananthan is a young Singaporean who gave up his comfortable career in finance to find a job as a street vendor with his wife, May Leena Krishnan.

Prior to founding Li Na Fishball Noodle, Jeevan was an investment banker for eight years, while May was involved in digital marketing.

The position opened in September 2019, but a “racial barrier” made it difficult to start the couple.

May said in an interview with Channel News Asia that they had received a barrage of “sneaky comments” from customers who questioned her cooking skills.

Two months after starting the business, he decided to use his marketing skills and uploaded a video of Jeevan making fishball noodles to Facebook.

The video went viral, attracting interviews with the media and customers. As orders steadily increased, the pair managed to break even in January 2020.

Comfort is not always better

Although all of these Singaporeans had nine out of five safe and convenient jobs, they nevertheless chose to take the road less traveled and venture into the food and drink shops.

As with any business, competition in the food and beverage industry is fierce. Cooking all day and being on your feet can also seem quite low key.

Yet these millennials have built successful businesses, proving that sometimes stepping out of your comfort zone can be the key to success.

Source of featured image: Oishi / My Nice Home / Seth Lui / Singapore Noodle / Honey Combers