‘Not Easy To Take A Break’: Ah Tai Chicken Rice Hawker Injures Hand, Returns To Work Early
Mr Wong, aka Wong Liang Tai, is the stall’s eponymous chef-owner. The 64-year-old, whom many know as "Ah Tai", worked for many years at well-known chicken rice stall Tian Tian Hainanese Chicken Rice, but famously left in 2012 to set up his own shop just a few units away after falling out with Tian Tian’s owner.
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He had reopened his stall as soon as he could resume working, and closed early at 3pm on Christmas Eve today (Dec 24) as business was good.
He points out: “It’s not easy to take a break. When I rest for so many days, the expenses incurred are huge. I still have to pay rent. Those in F&B will know, it’s not that easy to rest. I also had customers calling me to ask when I was reopening.”
He has one daughter, a university graduate in her 30s who also helps her dad update his stall’s social media page as he is not internet-savvy. But despite her interest in taking over his stall, Ah Tai reckons it’s not a job for a young woman.
Vacations, a common luxury for most Singaporeans, are also few and far between for Liang Tai. “We are tied down by the long hours and rigours of this job. It’s not like office workers who can take leave and go on holidays. It’s very expensive for us to take a vacation,” he chortles.
Ah Tai’s successor
Ah Tai has a “disciple”, a customer who ended up working for him. “He has been with me for over 10 years, and I may pass my business to him,” he says.
Finding a successor is “not easy”, as Liang Tai highlights: “You find someone in their 20s and they are not stable enough. It takes time and hard work to build a name in F&B. Not everyone can earn money from running an eatery. You must be patient and unafraid to work hard to retain customers, because they form the bulk of your business. When I worked at Tian Tian, it also took many years to establish a reputation.”
As for whether he dreams of winning a Michelin star like fellow chicken rice seller Hawker Chan, Liang Tai responds: “No lah! I don’t have that dream. Just let things run naturally. If you hope for something and don’t get it, you will feel very dissatisfied. If the Michelin Guide people want to give you a star, they will give it.”
But opening an outlet is something he will consider. Ah Tai says: “See how lah. My disciple is very busy now. Even if we open an outlet, it will be run by him.”
Ah Tai Hainanese Chicken Rice is at #01-07 Maxwell Food Centre, 1 Kadayanallur St, S069184. Open daily except Tues, 11am-7.30pm. Business as usual on Christmas Day. www.facebook.com/AhTaiChickenRice
Photos: Willie Yeo, Alvin Lim
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