SINGAPORE – When Mr Lucas Neo started posting food videos on TikTok and Instagram, the straight-talking insurance boss never imagined he would end up in the hot seat.
Mr Neo, 35, executive director of an agency under AIA Financial Advisers, had started a series called Exposing Michelin Hawkers on Sept 16 under the moniker Lucas The Boss. He wanted to give his take on 148 Michelin-listed hawkers and see if they lived up to their reputation.
“By doing this series, I wanted to provide real, unbiased reviews for the public, build a bigger online presence and spread positivity. I did not expect the huge backlash,” he says.
The series kicked off with what he called his “brutal honest review” of A Noodle Story, in which he stated that paying $10.80 for the bowl of noodles was an “absolute no” for him. Despite praising its “beautiful” presentation and “flavourful huge wonton”, he did not like the “alkaline smell” of the noodles, which made the entire dish unappetising to him.
He also questioned how the stall in Amoy Street Food Centre had received the Michelin Bib Gourmand award every year since 2016.
Barely a month later, after reviewing 49 hawkers, the series attracted not only fans who appreciated his candour, but also food content creators and netizens who slammed him for affecting hawker livelihoods and even accused him of “breaking their rice bowls”.
On Oct 14, he posted a video to clarify that he was not paid to do his series and meant no harm to hawkers, adding that he would continue to post reviews despite the hate and negative comments.
“Honesty in food reviews is akin to being honest with yourself. If you can’t even speak your mind, and just agree with whatever people are saying, what’s the point? Go with the flow? That’s not how a leader acts.”
Mr Neo, who runs Kin Group, an 85-strong financial services agency, originally ventured online to market himself like others in the insurance industry who talk about success and work ethics.
But he did not want scripted, run-of-the-mill videos, so he decided to focus on his passions – food, fitness and finance.
The sport enthusiast took part in his first triathlon in 2022 and spends up to 15 hours a week swimming, cycling, running and working out in the gym.
In April, he hired a full-time social media manager and started revving up his accounts with content. As he noticed food content drew more views than fitness and finance videos, he embarked on his SG60 Hawker series in July, reviewing 60 hawkers before National Day.
This was followed by a Healthy Hawker series in August. His video of Poon Kee Traditional Roasted Duck Wanton Noodle, which he praised profusely, garnered 269,000 views on Instagram and 409,600 views on TikTok.
He then decided to review Michelin-listed hawkers to find out how they got on the guide.
His rule was simple – food that scored at least eight out of 10 was “approved”, while anything below seven was “unrated”.
He says: “Most food content creators say everything is good. How many times have we queued for something, tasted it, then cursed and swore? I wanted to post something more raw, but not at the expense of the hawker going out of business.”
His blunt reviews split audiences. Some viewers agreed with him speaking his mind; others accused him of being disrespectful to hawkers.
His moniker comes from his desire since he was young to be a boss. His father, who died in 2018, was a businessman who inspired him to venture out on his own.
Family means the world to Mr Neo, who has a tattoo of his father on his left arm. He also has a tattoo of his wife, a 35-year-old senior director at Kin Group, and their two children – a daughter, 11, and a son, nine – on the forearm.
While he takes negative comments about his videos in his stride, netizens calling for the boycott of AIA affected the morale of his team.
