Popular Roast Meat Hawker Closing Stall After 10 Months To Become Financial Analyst
In an unusual pivot, the hawker behind Te Bak Kia hopes to land a corporate gig soon.
While we’ve featured plenty of stories on hawkers who’ve ditched a suit and tie in favour of an apron, today’s story is a little different. Te Bak Kia – a popular roasted meat stall, which also sells hard-to-find Teochew braised pig’s face – will be closing its doors on July 30 after a run of just over ten months. 8days.sg speaks to 28-year-old Chong Jin Yuan, the hawker who runs the stall in Ayer Rajah Food Centre with his wife, 27-year-old Gan Jia Jing.
They announced the closure on both their Facebook and Instagram accounts – their last day of operations will be on July 30, which gives everyone just under a week and a half to tapow their yummy char siew rice.
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Chronic migraines getting worse
“There are several reasons for closing now,” shares the young towkay, who got his first taste of the F&B world working full-time at his father’s three-decade-old butcher stall from the age of 20 post-graduation from Ngee Ann Polytechnic. “I’ve got a flat foot, which affects my back. [Long hours of standing] contributes to my chronic migraines – I’ve been getting more and more episodes, which indirectly affects the [rest of the] business operations.”
The hawker has thought of hiring help to take over the day-to-day running of the biz, but couldn’t find a suitable replacement. “We’re particular about hiring someone that has a specialised set of skills. But we couldn’t find someone that fits [the bill],” he says.
He’s pivoting to the corporate life for the first time ever
“I’ve been studying on the side ever since I started Te Bak Kia,” Jing Yuan says. “I chose the hawker life partially because of an interest in F&B, but [also because] hawkers can manage their own timing [as they are self-employed].”
The hawker, who has a Diploma in Automation and Mechatronic Systems, gets up at 3am every day to head to his stall. After serving customers for the day, he marinates the next day’s batch of meat and returns home by around 3pm, spending the rest of his day studying.
“I have a CFA (Chartered Financial Analyst) Level 1 exam in November,” he shares. “So I’ll be taking time off [after closing the stall] to study.” He hopes to use this cert to eventually snag a role as a financial analyst. “I won’t be working until [my] exam,” he adds. “I’ll still be helping on-and-off [at his father’s butcher shop], but will still take a break before starting [my new job].”
Wants more family time
Of course, going into the corporate world comes with benefits – like “more family time.” “There are sacrifices for being a hawker too,” the father of four kids shares. With his current schedule, he’s either away from home or studying when his kids are around. “I usually go to bed before any of them,” he adds with a laugh. “At least I can spend more time with them [while they’re growing up].”
Photo: Chong Jin Yuan
He’s grateful for the experience – but especially to his customers
The hawker says that uncertainty over business during the pandemic is not one of the reasons for his stall’s closure. “Business has been good ever since [8days.sg wrote about us],” the hawker says. “And we managed to retain most of our customers [from that boost].”
“We’re happy that many of our customers are [regulars], not one-off [diners]. I’m super touched at the response we’ve had – out of everywhere that they can buy char siew rice, they come all the way to West Coast to buy it from us,” he shares.
A comeback might be possible
“We might make a comeback if we can find the right person [to helm the stall],” Jing Yuan says. “But we’ve got no plans currently.”
Te Bak Kia Roasted is at #01-44 Ayer Rajah Food Centre, Blk 503 West Coast Drive, S120503. Revised opening hours: Mon – Fri, 9.30am – 1pm. More info via Facebook and Instagram. Call 89099578 for delivery.
All photos cannot be reproduced without permission from 8days.sg
Photos: Kelvin Chia
