'Am I doing something wrong?' Hawker puzzled by slow business in December, others share similar sentiments

One would think that many restaurants and food businesses would experience a boom during the holiday season as diners get together for festive meals and gatherings. It's also not uncommon to see snaking queues and longer delivery times at many of these places during the holidays. 

But one F&B owner's TikTok video has shed light on a starkly different reality for some in the month of December — slow business for heartland hawkers. 

"I really hate the month of December," wrote Lim Hwee Yi, a 26-year-old hawker in her TikTok post on Sunday (Dec 22). She is currently working full-time at her parents' porridge business, Botak Cantonese Porridge, which she will take over when they retire. They have two outlets located at Tampines Hub Hawker Centre and One Punggol Hawker Centre.

"Business is so slow, it's honestly a little scary," she admitted. 

Although the 26-year-old's mother had been supportive and reassured her that "December is always like this" because many people are away on holiday, she still couldn't help but "feel uneasy".

[embed]https://www.tiktok.com/@hawkergirl98/photo/7450830968270687495[/embed]

"Am I doing something wrong? Did I fail to maintain the quality, causing customers to leave?" 

The post has since garnered over 320,000 views and 467 comments.

Hwee Yi's sentiments also struck a chord with other F&B operators. 

Many of them expressed that this December has indeed been slow and they've been facing the same concerns.

"In the past, December used to be a peak season for Christmas cakes but this year it's so, so quiet. I'm not sure if it's the entire market or just us. I'm constantly worried," a commenter who runs a cafe called Cafe Lilac by Whisking Bakes at Lavender stated.

Wrote another commenter: "From a customer's point of view, December is definitely a slow month for hawkers with people going on holidays and gatherings, prompting them to cook or [order[ takeout fast food. Different types of food will have different ups and downs, don't give up!"

But the issue doesn't appear to affect only food-based businesses. Business owners from other industries shared how they too, have also been feeling the heat.

"I have multiple businesses and yes December is slow," another chimed in. 

"For my industry, this December have been the worst December in four years of doing (the) business. Keep going! Jia you (a Chinese phrase used to express encouragement)," a commenter in the moving business stated.

Many netizens also encouraged Hwee Yi to stay positive and push on.

"Next month will be huat already! It's Chinese New Year! Cheer up!" one comment read. 

A fellow second-generation hawker commented: "Hello! From one second gen to another, I feel the same way too! There'll always be a small part inside me that thinks I am not doing it good enough but the strongest storm makes the best sailors!" 

Several even promised to patronise her hawker stall.

"I'm back from holiday and next week I go dabao [sic]," said one commenter.

"Where is this? I'll come down with my friends" a commenter asked — to which Hwee Yi replied with a stitched video.

Expressing gratitude for the "overwhelming support", she ended off the video with an encouraging message for her fellow hawkers and business owners. 

[embed]https://www.tiktok.com/@hawkergirl98/video/7451280582832557320[/embed]

"For the businesses that are also struggling, December is ending. Jia you."

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carol.ong@asiaone.com