Another Casual Western Eatery To Replace Grub Burger Bistro Space At Bishan Park

Back in 2015, Sarah, then in marketing, and her husband Ronald Chye, 32, an air force regular, left their respective careers to start Burp with Chris Cheng (a mutual pal who kept his day job in the construction industry). “It was a turning point in our careers, and we decided to take the risk and try cooking [as a career],” Sarah says.

The husband-and-wife duo ran the kitchen for a year before deciding to open their first outpost in Tanjong Katong. “The first year into running Burp, business was good, people liked it. We decided to expand – but maybe it was too fast, as our finances weren’t stable,” she tells us. “The crowd wasn’t what we expected. We thought that at Tanjong Katong, there would be customers from Bedok, and customers from there would go to Bedok. That wasn’t the case.” They toughed it out until 2019 before shuttering the branch.

Yet, the experience proved invaluable when the trio caught wind of the open tender for the spot in Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park. “It’s very similar to Bedok as it’s in nature and you can get a great view. It’s hard to find that in Singapore, since most shops are surrounded by buildings,” Sarah says. “It is an opportunity we couldn’t miss.”

We ask how they felt about inadvertently taking over the space from longtime tenant Grub. “The fact that Grub was there actually gave us the assurance that a concept like ours could potentially work there as well,” she adds. “If it wasn’t us, it could easily be any other concept that could take over the spot as none of the participants would know each other’s bid until the results were announced. Similar to Grub, at the end of our tenancy with NParks down the road, we’d also have to go through the exact same tender process and risk being replaced with another brand,” reasons Sarah, sharing that the spot will be up for open tender again in six years.

She estimates that they can fit 90 seats in Bishan, compared to a capacity of 30 seats, socially-distanced, at Burp’s current Bedok premises. It also comes with full kitchen facilities – an amenity that they’ve had to go without at Bedok Reservoir Park since opening. “We have a good drink selection, but food is what brings in the sales. Without a full kitchen, we couldn’t do heavy cooking – do you know we can’t do fries at Bedok? It’s very odd to serve a burger without fries,” she adds with a laugh.

And while they’re confident the location is good, Sarah tells us that it will take time to build a new base of customers. “[At Bedok,] we were always focused on building a relationship with customers so they’ll come back again and again. Going into Bishan, it’s a whole different crowd. I’m pretty sure [residents in Bishan] never heard of us before, so we will have to build this familiarity again,” she tells us.

Though the Bishan menu hasn’t been firmed up yet, you can expect “an expanded menu” (fries included). The team hasn’t ruled out increasing prices either, says Sarah, admitting that they might be “slightly higher” than the Bedok branch’s. Currently, Burp Kitchen & Bar’s signature tacos start from $10 (for two pieces) at the Bedok Reservoir Park outlet, while their burgers range from $12 to $16 and pastas from $10 to $16. Burp will also be “refreshing” their look when they open in Bishan, though they haven’t firmed up plans in that department just yet.

Burp Kitchen & Bar’s second outlet opens end-May at Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park, 510 Ang Mo Kio Ave 1, S569983.

The original outlet is at #01-3165 740 Bedok Reservoir Rd, S470740. Tel: 8428-4722. Open weekdays 11am – 10.15pm; weekends 10am – 10.15pm. More info via Facebook and Instagram. Delivery via Foodpanda.

Photos: Burp Kitchen & Bar, Grub

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