Chick-fil-A Singapore owner is doing it to inspire his teenage son. (PHOTO: Gary Hershorn/Getty Images)
Singaporean entrepreneur Chyn Koh sampled Chick-fil-A only after deciding to commit his future to it. By the time he finally tasted the brand’s signature chicken sandwich in May in Singapore, he had already completed a rigorous seven-month interview process to become the owner-operator of its first Asian outlet. Initially skeptical of a sandwich made with chicken breast – a cut often dismissed by locals – Koh was quickly converted. The 49-year-old recalled: “I took my first bite and then, boom. How can a piece of chicken with two buns and two pickles taste so good?”
A seasoned fast-food veteran who spent 17 years as a Subway franchisee, Koh now hopes to demolish fast-food stereotypes when Chick-fil-A opens here in late 2025.
His vision is to focus on building a strong reputation rather than chasing pure sales, to create an inclusive space that welcomes guests of all backgrounds – the restaurant will not serve pork, though it does not currently plan to seek halal certification – and to establish Chick-fil-A as Singapore’s most beloved chicken restaurant.
For Koh, that means serving fresh chicken filleted and breaded by hand, and providing warm, attentive service that goes beyond expectation. He envisions staff who refill drinks without being asked, or surprise guests with gestures that reflect what Chick-fil-A’s “second-mile service” ethos.
“Some owner-operators will say they want to change lives. That might be a bit of a stretch for me, but I feel that we absolutely have the ability to make someone’s day in a restaurant,” he said.
While he declined to reveal his total investment beyond a $15,000 franchise fee, Koh said it was the brand’s famous ethos that inspired him to apply for the job of owner-operator in October 2024. At the time, he was comfortably managing six Subway outlets but felt he was “losing momentum”. He shared: “One day, I was driving, and I thought, ‘This can’t be it, right? There’s got to be something else.'”
Koh sees this new venture as both a professional challenge and a personal mission. He wants to dedicate his “20 good years left of energy” to building something meaningful, and to inspire his 13-year-old son in the process.
He said: “What I do matters more than what I say. I want him to see me take on this huge thing, maybe struggle with it and make some mistakes, then come out successful on the other side. That’s how I hope I’ll get some drive into him.”
For more on the Chick-fil-A Singapore owner, read here.
