stall had been there for about nine years, and that he was reluctant to call it a day<\/a><\/span>.<\/p>\nHowever, he made the difficult decision after seeing fewer customers since the Covid-19 pandemic.<\/p>\n
He said that with more people working from home, foot traffic from nearby offices dropped by about 20 per cent. The reopening of other coffee shops in the area after renovations further drew customers away.<\/p>\n
“It’s not easy running a food business,” said Mr Tang. “I’ve been thinking about whether to close for some time, and only made the decision recently. With the Johor Bahru – Singapore Rapid Transit System (RTS) opening in the future, more people will go to Malaysia to spend, and that will make local business even tougher.”<\/p>\n
Fourth-generation hawker plans to call it a day<\/h3>\n
Mr Tang shared that his great-grandfather began selling yong tau foo from a pushcart in 1952, and he is now the fourth generation to carry on the family trade.<\/p>\n
According to reports, the recipe was handed down to the third generation, Mdm Lee and her younger sister. They moved a few times, including to Block 116 Lorong 2 Toa Payoh, before settling at 203 Toa Payoh North.<\/p>\n
“I once asked my mother why the stall was named ‘He Zhong’, and she said it was meant to make yong tau foo that suits everyone’s taste,” he said, adding that he joined his mother full-time in 2012 after leaving his IT job.<\/p>\n
Running a hawker stall, he said, requires full commitment and long hours – sometimes up to 15 hours a day.<\/p>\n
“After running the stall for so many years, we’ve decided to close for now and take a proper rest. At the moment, we have no plans to reopen elsewhere,” he added.<\/p>\n
Coffee shop owner hopes stall will stay<\/h3>\n
Mr Kenneth Lee, owner of Hai Fong Coffee Shop and chairman of the Kheng Keow Coffee Merchants Restaurant and Bar-Owners Association, said he hopes to convince the yong tau foo stall to stay.<\/p>\n
He said Mr Tang had considered closing because business was slow and hiring local workers was difficult.<\/p>\n
“Hup Chong Yong Tau Foo has built a loyal customer base over the years. We’re still discussing it, and hopefully he might change his mind,” Mr Lee said.<\/p>\n
He added that loyal customers are key to sustaining any coffee shop, and that he is also in discussions with hawkers interested in taking up a stall.<\/p>\n
Another stall to close, plans home-based business<\/h3>\n
The Qi Yin Teochew Minced Meat Noodles stall at the same coffee shop will also be closing soon, according to Shin Min Daily. Its last day of operation will be Nov 20.<\/p>\n
Run by Ms Tan Boon Im (transliterated), 55, and her cousin Ms Lee Xiu Qi, the stall has been operating at Hai Fong Coffee Shop for more than eight years.<\/p>\n
Ms Tan said that rising costs and the strain of long hours prompted her to take a break. Limited customer flow at the coffee shop was another factor.<\/p>\n
“We’ll first switch to a home-based business, and the menu will undergo some changes,” she said, adding that they will start looking for a new location after the Chinese New Year period.<\/p>\n
The cousins, who live in Bukit Batok, hope to eventually find a stall in a nearby hawker centre.<\/p>\n
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