When I visited Teo Jun Jie and Soh Ren Jie’s Hokkien Mee Stall last March at lunch, I was surprised by the dramatic width behind the meter.
Soh was raising a range of 10 paintings of the famous local noodles dish. First, threw the eggs in the kinetic pan and rush them before adding two different types of cooked pasta.
After that, he underwent large broths, which give poetry the rich Umami quality. For some thing, it disappeared in a large steam cloud. And the last in the phases, already cooked and pink.
Before introducing the customer, transferred it to Tio, which leads the dish with lemon, fried and crunchy pork, hot pepper paste and spices.
The duo opened their kiosk, Ah Ji Hokin Mi, in the Ang Mu Qio residential neighborhood in Singapore in August. Ah Ji is a popular play for their names, which both contain the word “J”.
As a result of severe back injury and a lot of reflection
The idea of working to Tio came when he was recovering from a severe back injury. In 2021, he was carrying a loaded of shrimp for a former employer when he turned and heard a loud loud click, followed by severe pain.
The pain became worse gradually until he could not stand straight or sit without backrest. In the end, he had to leave his job.
During his recovery for a year, he was reflected in his career. But instead of giving up his dream of making his fingerprints on food and drinks, he doubled.
“It has hit me that I should try to do something for myself, giving me freedom to work how I want and not to answer anyone else,” Tio said.
TEO called his friend Soh, who also had an F&b experience, asking if he wanted to prepare his Stall Hawker to sell Hokkien Mee.
“I will definitely not continue the office job. I cannot sit all day,” said Tio, 28, laughing. He did everything from working as waiting employees to part in part -time cooking jobs.
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One element in the list and 14 hours in front of the stove
Soh Ren Jie, co -owner of AH Jie Hokkien Mee, cooks small batches of pasta enough for 10 boards to maintain quality.
My hands Baharadi
Tio said that the most difficult part of starting the procrastination was mastery of the broth, which took weeks.
“The broth should pick up the core of the prawns, with hints of sweetness and the correct balance of salinity,” he said.
“Our customers complained about consistency and said that they tasted differently every time they had,” he added. “But for weeks, we have listened to it.”
Kevin Suh, a regularity who had a TIO dish weekly since its opening in August, said he is one of the best player Hokkie Mee in Singapore.
SOH, a taxi driver for Singaporean biking platform, told me that he lives 30 minutes from the Tio booth. But he loves the dish, saying that seafood is always fresh, and the noodles remain hot to the end.
“It is worth driving every week,” Saoo said.
Hokkien Mee was rich and delicious, covered with hot, sweet pepper, sem, and fried fat fat.
My hands Baharadi
On a good day, Tio said they serve up to 300 paintings from Hokkien Mee, each of which is about $ 6 Singapore, or $ 466. This means that on a good day, they can make up to $ 1,800 Singapore.
Tio said that waiting times during peak hours sometimes reach 45 minutes.
It is time and a heavy employment job. The duo begins working at 8 am, making a fresh set of broth every morning.
They are occupied by a hungry lunch until 3 pm, and after that they give themselves a break before preparing and offering a dinner crowd until 8:30 pm
Tio said that the most difficult part of the job is having to smile for customers even when he spends a bad day.
By the time they conclude, at 10 pm, they work for 14 hours, seven days a week, is an arduous job. But as Tio said, “Once you get used to it, don’t think twice in it.”
General Zires are highly betting on F&b in Asia
In Singapore, small street vendors like TEO are famous for offering global fare. It was even some It included In Michelin’s guide.
Many owners of street vendors say that work is difficult, long hours, and The opportunity of failure High.
Despite these factors, more General Zires in Asia ventures to F & B.
This could be attributed to factors such as exhaustion arising from the arduous culture of work in China and the “black companies” used in Japan.
“The start of their own projects allows Gen Z to control the pace of their lives and work,” Ko added. He said that many Asian Gen Zers scream at the F & B in particular because food is the key to Asian identity, and there are low barriers in front of entering the market.
“General Zires can enter the F & B market without unique costs and unique experience. For example, over the past few years, there have been a lot of Gen Zers who create tea stores and bubble drinks.”
Looking to retreat within a few years
When asked why he doubled the F&b although this is what happened to his back, Tio said that the plan is long -term To employ employees who can do more cooking, it can play a more administrative role.
He said he might venture even to other fields at some point.
“Although we enjoy it, we know that the F&B scene is really difficult. The competition is high, and the workforce is difficult to obtain. Therefore, we may do something else,” he said.
