"'We have never taken a full salary as young hawkers'
SINGAPORE: In March, Chinatown Complex food centre will undergo renovations and will shut for three months. Alex Ho and Gay Yu Ting who jointly own a stall there are taking that as the cue to close for good.
Mr Ho, 28, and Ms Gay, 32, are behind Sutachi, which offers Japanese-Italian fusion food more commonly found in cafes.
An order of their rice bowl comes with a side of soup, and costs between S$5 and S$7.50. The most expensive item on the menu is a foie gras dish with slices of beef at S$19.50.
The stall opened in December 2017 and was featured on food blogs and review sites for their affordable take on gourmet fusion food. But that did not necessarily translate into consistent profits.
“When we opened, the first three months was very good (because) people were interested. Friends came, Eatbook came. That time, we made money. After that, it was survival period,” Ms Gay said.
“Even though we were popular, we were not popular enough. The stall still could not cover our salaries. We had to take a pay cut. We have never taken a full salary in the last 14 months,” she added.
Ms Gay worked as an auditor for six years before she decided to pursue her passion in the culinary arts. She enrolled with At-Sunrice GlobalChef Academy where she met her business partner and friend Mr Ho.
Both of them worked in restaurants and hotels for a few years after graduating from the academy. Mr Ho said he started out with a monthly salary of S$1,600 which grew to S$2,000 by the time he left to set up Sutachi four years later.
“As chefs, we know the food costs, suppliers and how the F&B business works. When you know the food costs, margins and your salary, you know how much the business is making. I asked myself why do I want to continue working for someone else?” said Mr Ho.""
Kudos to the 2 young persons for having a go at the hawkers trade. It didn't work well. Yet, I m sure they hv become more mature n experienced as a biz person n a human being.
The story also highlighted the real challenges faced by any new hawkers like: costs mgt of rental n foods, choice of foods n menus, etc. It also offers hard facts of dollar n cent, no. of bowls they need to sell to breakeven, how manpower is greatly affected when Mr Ho went for reservist, etc.
None of the romanticized "social enterprise hawkers centre" where diners come with family to release, watch a performance n whatnot!!
Ideas dreamt of or imagined by some members of the "Next Generation Hawkers n Hawkers Centre"!!
This story also highlights HOW MUCH MORE PM Lee n his colleagues will hv to do to get this "soon to be world heritage of Sgp hawkers culture" thingy going. Without a viable livelihoods to make, there won't b many hawkers around to tout this uniquely Sgp culture!
Blessed the 2 young persons n all the successes in their future endeavours!!
SINGAPORE: In March, Chinatown Complex food centre will undergo renovations and will shut for three months. Alex Ho and Gay Yu Ting who jointly own a stall there are taking that as the cue to close for good.
Mr Ho, 28, and Ms Gay, 32, are behind Sutachi, which offers Japanese-Italian fusion food more commonly found in cafes.
An order of their rice bowl comes with a side of soup, and costs between S$5 and S$7.50. The most expensive item on the menu is a foie gras dish with slices of beef at S$19.50.
The stall opened in December 2017 and was featured on food blogs and review sites for their affordable take on gourmet fusion food. But that did not necessarily translate into consistent profits.
“When we opened, the first three months was very good (because) people were interested. Friends came, Eatbook came. That time, we made money. After that, it was survival period,” Ms Gay said.
“Even though we were popular, we were not popular enough. The stall still could not cover our salaries. We had to take a pay cut. We have never taken a full salary in the last 14 months,” she added.
Ms Gay worked as an auditor for six years before she decided to pursue her passion in the culinary arts. She enrolled with At-Sunrice GlobalChef Academy where she met her business partner and friend Mr Ho.
Both of them worked in restaurants and hotels for a few years after graduating from the academy. Mr Ho said he started out with a monthly salary of S$1,600 which grew to S$2,000 by the time he left to set up Sutachi four years later.
“As chefs, we know the food costs, suppliers and how the F&B business works. When you know the food costs, margins and your salary, you know how much the business is making. I asked myself why do I want to continue working for someone else?” said Mr Ho.""
Kudos to the 2 young persons for having a go at the hawkers trade. It didn't work well. Yet, I m sure they hv become more mature n experienced as a biz person n a human being.
The story also highlighted the real challenges faced by any new hawkers like: costs mgt of rental n foods, choice of foods n menus, etc. It also offers hard facts of dollar n cent, no. of bowls they need to sell to breakeven, how manpower is greatly affected when Mr Ho went for reservist, etc.
None of the romanticized "social enterprise hawkers centre" where diners come with family to release, watch a performance n whatnot!!
Ideas dreamt of or imagined by some members of the "Next Generation Hawkers n Hawkers Centre"!!
This story also highlights HOW MUCH MORE PM Lee n his colleagues will hv to do to get this "soon to be world heritage of Sgp hawkers culture" thingy going. Without a viable livelihoods to make, there won't b many hawkers around to tout this uniquely Sgp culture!
Blessed the 2 young persons n all the successes in their future endeavours!!
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