Leong Yeow Chicken Rice, family-run business with 50-year history, to shutter both outlets

Goodbyes are never easy, especially when a bond has been formed for decades.

The Loy family has been running Leong Yeow Chicken Rice since 1974 but come May 27, this 50-year run is set to come to an end.

Not only would the family be waving goodbye to the business, they'd be parting ways with their customers too.

A patron named Matthew Abraham Soh shared the news on Facebook group Can Eat! SG on Thursday (May 23), mentioning that it was "very hard" to say goodbye.

Leong Yeow Chicken Rice had also recently put up a sign at one of its two outlets, announcing that the business is closing for good.

It read in Chinese: "Even though our journey has come to an end, the beautiful memories we've created together will remain in our hearts forever."

Although the Facebook post mentioned that this closure relates to just the Waterloo Street outlet, a Leong Yeow Chicken Rice spokesperson, who wanted to be known as Loy, confirmed with AsiaOne that both the Waterloo Street and Queen Street outlets will be closing on May 27.

The spokesperson declined to reveal any information about the reasons behind the closure.

In the Facebook post's comments section, a number of netizens were dismayed by the news, with some trying to make sense of what could have happened to the business.

"Sad to see it go, I was [just] there last week. One of the better chicken rice stalls," a Facebook user said.

Another netizen admitted to being "really shocked", given that he has eaten at this chicken rice establishment for the last three decades.

One Facebook user went on to speculate that operational cost could have played a part in the closure, commenting: "Really sickening with all the high rental increase that kills off businesses."

AsiaOne understands from the spokesperson that, at this juncture, there are no concrete plans for Leong Yeow Chicken Rice to reopen at a different location in the near future.

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amierul@asiaone.com

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