Joo Chiat hawker sells Hokkien mee stall and recipes for $20,000: 2 other hawkers who sold their recipes

Would you pay $20,000 to take over a hawker stall that has a steady stream of regular customers and its recipes?

Well, someone did even during these tough Covid-19 times. 8 Days reported that the owners of Joo Chiat Hokkien mee hawker stall Yong Huat have sold their store and recipes for fried mee sua, char kway teow and of course, Hokkien mee.

Hence Yong Huat's stall at Alibabar The Hawker Bar will continue to operate, with the new owner slated to take over operations of the 50-year-old stall from August 31. 

The current husband and wife team, Pang Weng Hong and Chia Siew Heok, have been training the new owner for the last two weeks.

$20,000 wasn't the initial price that Pang had in mind though. He had initially hoped to get $50,000 from the sale initially but lowered his ask as he was afraid that no one would bite given the current economic situation. And the sale was settled in a matter of months.

The eventual buyer was chosen from four interested parties as Pang felt an affinity with him, plus he had hawker experience. 

Of course, this type of sale is hardly the first of its kind in Singapore, though still impressive given that we're in Covid-19 times. Here's a list of other successful hawker sales that have taken place on our little red dot.

Kay Lee Roast Meat Joint

From a shop at Upper Paya Lebar Road, the eatery is now found at two locations in Singapore, though there were more previously, including an upscale outlet at Suntec City which has since closed. 

The original owners sold their recipe and the original stall to conglomerate Aztech Group for $4 million in 2014 after announcing their desire to sell in 2012.

Uncle Chicken Rice 

The two buyers had to cough up $42,800 each for the stall's chicken rice recipe and commit to training under the owner Niven Leong for at least a month. And they would have to set up their own stall, as Leong would continue to run the original stall in Bedok.

This sum was specified by Leong's father and for Leong, the training was to ensure that the quality of his family's chicken rice was maintained. 

kailun@asiaone.com