'Some things are meant to be temporary': Vegan ice cream cafe Heartbreak Melts to shutter after 3 years

After three years of selling vegan ice cream, Heartbreak Melts will be shuttering its cafe at Ang Mo Kio with its last day of operations on Dec 31. 

"It’s not you, it’s me and this is goodbye, some things are meant to be temporary," read the caption of its Instagram post on Friday (Nov 8). 

The folks behind Heartbreak Melts pointed out that change is necessary. 

"If everything stayed the same, nothing will be exciting anymore. Change is always good, a change is a new chapter, we may be gone, but we will be eternally iconic and remembered," they wrote. 

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They also expressed their appreciation to those who have supported them over the years. 

"We will all get to our destination, but don’t forget to enjoy the journey and thank you to our customers who have been with us on this beautiful journey." 

In response to AsiaOne's queries, the owner of Heartbreak Melts, Goh Yong Wei, shared that the cafe's tenancy contract has a window in January 2025, which gave them a choice to either continue or exit the business.

"We decided it’s best to exit the F&B business especially at our small scale," he said, adding they didn't want to run the business "half-heartedly".

"We only want to give our best because our patrons and staff deserve it."

In the meantime, Yong Wei is making arrangements for a "smooth exit", which includes paying suppliers, salaries, levies and CPF, as well as making future job arrangements for his workers.

He also hopes to remain on good terms with his staff.

"We truly want the best for them, and there are many employers out there that can outdo us. We will remain in contact and still invite them to join us on trips to Johor Bahru occasionally." 

If there were ever a chance to revive Heartbreak Melts, he plans to do things differently.

"The next time, it’ll be better. We’ll be able to start afresh with our past experience and waste no time in experiments and R&D," Yong Wei said.

Upon hearing the news, customers flocked to the post's comment section to express their sadness. 

Many thanked the cafe for the memories while others said they were heartbroken by the news. 

One netizen shared how she had heart-to-heart talks at the cafe with fellow vegans, some of which made her cry her heart out. 

"All the best in your future ventures, no more heartbreaks, only healing!" she wrote.

Over the past few years, the cafe has made headlines several times. 

In November 2022, a clip of a furious customer demanding to meet the boss went viral on social media. 

This turned out to be a prank by TikTok user Tan Yen Jue, who is known for his comedy skits. 

In another incident back in January 2023, co-owner Goh Yong Wei posted a brutally honest TikTok video to "demotivate" those considering setting up their own food-related businesses.

He pointed out some discouraging statistics taken from Singapore's Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority (ACRA) website which revealed that 13,539 F&B businesses were formed from 2019 to 2022, but within the same period, 9,609 of them folded.

This sparked an online debate and some netizens even stepped forward to counter argue several of Yong Wei's points. 

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melissateo@asiaone.com