NUS-bound trio save about $30k to set up mee hoon kueh stall in Bishan

Twiddling their thumbs, they certainly aren't.

Instead of finding a regular part-time job or enjoying their free time while waiting to enter university, three friends - 20-year-olds Gerald Lee, Kelvin Ching and Tan Kuan Feng - decided that they would become hawkers.

Hawkers selling traditional mee hoon kueh and ban mian, to be precise.

The stall, named Jiak Mee (Hokkien for 'eat noodles'), is located in the cafeteria right above the Bishan bus interchange.

It opened at the start of the year and business has since been thriving, Shin Min Daily News reported on Wednesday (Feb 7).

Despite the three 'towkays' not having any experience behind the stove, the idea didn't exactly come out of the blue.

After all, Kelvin's parents own and run the Traditional Handmade Mee Hoon Kueh chain of hawker stalls.

In fact, the recipe for the mee hoon kueh used at Jiak Mee is exactly the same, with some ingredients delivered straight from the chain's central kitchen.

Speaking to Shin Min Daily News, Kelvin shared that his parents started their first hawker stall just over a year ago, but swiftly expanded to four branches islandwide.

He had gone to help his parents at one of their stalls last year after completing his national service, and that was when his parents asked if he was keen to set up his own branch.

According to an interview with 8Days, Kelvin's parents were the ones who suggested that they operate under a new brand to appeal to the younger crowd.

Kelvin then roped in Gerald and Kuan Feng, friends whom he'd known for seven years, reported Shin Min Daily News. At the time, they were all waiting to enter the National University of Singapore, in the College of Humanities and Sciences, industrial engineering and computer science faculties respectively.

The trio invested a total of about $20,000 to $30,000 saved from their NS allowance to set up the stall, reported Shin Min.

Kelvin told the Chinese evening daily: "I would have gone to look for a part-time job anyway, so I thought why not try setting up my own stall with the support of my family."

The three young bosses spent two months picking up the required skills before opening Jiak Mee. Prices start from $4.80 for the mee hoon kueh soup and $5.80 for the dry version.

Despite operating for just three weeks at the time of writing, the daily turnout has far exceeded the young bosses' expectations.

They currently churn out more than 200 bowls a day, with waiting times up to 40 minutes long during peak hours.

Just as long, however, are their working hours, with the stall open from 7.30am to 8.30pm daily. The three friends work a rotational shift so that each person gets one day off per week.

Business is so good that the stall has already attracted return customers within this short period of time.

One of them, Zhang, 28, told Shin Min Daily News that while prices of the noodles were a little on the higher end, it was still acceptable for the quality of the handmade noodles.

"It's rare for all three bosses to be so young," he added.

Another customer, surnamed Zhou, 29, stated that it was his third time patronising the stall as he works at the nearby mall.

He indicated that he enjoyed the sauce in the noodles and their handmade chilli is also spicier than most, although the taste is "okay".

Looking to hire full-time staff

While they are able to handle everything by themselves now, Kelvin shared with the Chinese daily that they are currently recruiting workers to manage the stall once they enter university in August.

Full-time staff will be paid a minimum salary of $2,000 while part-timers will get $11 to $12 per hour.

However, the three of them still intend to take turns on a weekly basis to supervise operations at the stall once the academic year begins.

ALSO READ: These young chefs quit restaurant jobs to open hawker stall selling grilled meats, pumped $25k into business

candicecai@asiaone.com