Kam's Roast Boss Wants Apology After Being Allegedly ‘Kicked Out’ Of Ion Food Court

“Unreasonable demand, interference and bullying”

"I’m disappointed to see that some F&B operators act in bad faith toward tenants — through unreasonable demand, interference and bullying," he continued in his FB post.

BreadTalk subsequently told Mothership that while Kam's Roast had been offered a renewal at prevailing market rates and given first right of refusal, "both parties were ultimately unable to reach an agreement on the commercial terms". 

However, in a later post, Robert disputes that account and challenged BreadTalk "to provide proof and evidence to support their lie that ultimately we were unable to reach an agreement".

Speaking to 8days.sg, he and his chief operating officer Victor Ng, who handled the negotiations, shared their version of what transpired during the renewal negotiations.

Renewal discussions began in August 2025, says Kam’s

According to Victor, renewal discussions for the Ion Orchard outlet began in August 2025. 

He said Kam's Roast was initially assigned Stall 1 in the revamped food court, but the company felt Food Republic's proposed rental increase for the new lease was too high.

After several months of negotiations, Food Republic returned in April 2026 with what Victor said was described as its "final proposal".

The revised offer involved relocating Kam's Roast to Stall 3 within the food court and reducing the rental increase. Certain fees, including cleaning fees, were also lowered, he said.

Although the new unit was less prominent than the one originally proposed, Victor said Kam's Roast accepted the revised terms.

According to him, Food Republic subsequently asked the company to amend and return a Stall Licence Booking Form reflecting the updated stall number and commercial terms.

Victor said Kam's Roast accepted the proposal in mid-April and returned the amended form two days later.

However, on May 14, Food Republic informed Kam's Roast that it would not be offering a new lease after all.

Robert and Victor also shared correspondence and voice messages relating to the renewal discussions with 8days.sg. They declined to provide documents in full, citing confidentiality obligations.

"It is not true that we did not agree. They just changed their mind,” Robert said.

According to Robert and Victor, Kam's Roast believed the renewal process was moving forward after it accepted Food Republic's revised proposal and returned the amended booking form.

Food Republic’s response

8days.sg asked Food Republic to respond to Robert and Victor’s claim that Kam's Roast had accepted what it understood to be the operator's final renewal offer in April and was informed a month later that the renewal would not proceed.

We also asked Food Republic to clarify which commercial terms remained unresolved, given its earlier statement that both parties had been unable to reach agreement.

In response, a Food Republic spokesperson said that "there was no tenancy contract offered" and reiterated that "both parties were ultimately unable to reach an agreement on the commercial terms".

The spokesperson did not elaborate on which commercial terms remained unresolved, nor did the company directly address Robert and Victor's account of the renewal discussions.

Ion food court to undergo change in concept

Robert also questioned the rationale behind the decision, claiming Kam's Roast Express had been one of the food court's strongest-performing stalls.

"We have been a top-three performer since day one," he said.

According to Robert, Food Republic told him the food court would be undergoing a major refresh and adopting a new concept.

“They're changing 90 per cent of the vendors,” he claimed.

According to the food court’s website, there are 27 vendors.

Asked why he thought the renewal ultimately fell through, Robert said he could only speculate.

He suggested that another operator may have expressed interest in the space, though he stressed that he had no evidence to support this.

When asked about Robert's suggestion, Food Republic said it had no additional comments beyond its earlier statement.

"They treat tenants as staff rather than partners"

Beyond the Ion Orchard dispute, Robert said he has broader concerns about how Food Republic manages its relationships with tenants.

He cited examples involving Ju Xing Fish, another F&B brand under his group, claiming approvals for menu changes could take weeks and that operators were sometimes overruled on decisions relating to stall or menu descriptions.

As one example, Robert said approval to introduce a “cheaper menu item” at another Food Republic-managed food court at Raffles City had gone unanswered for more than a month.

According to him, operators must obtain approval for new menu items, including related menu and promotional materials, before launching them, a process he said he respects. However, Robert questioned why approvals should take so long. 

8days.sg asked Food Republic to address Robert's allegations of "bullying" and "interference", including his claim that a menu-related request went unanswered for more than a month. But the brand’s spokesperson repeated that they had no additional comments.

“If I am a small player, sales from this new dish could make a big difference for that month,” he said.

"It’s bad that you treat people this way. They treat tenants as staff rather than partners," he alleged.

Robert said he decided to speak out because he believes smaller operators may be reluctant to do so.

“I'm speaking for the industry. I'm speaking for other people in the food court too,” he said.

Robert says he no longer wants to do business with Food Republic

Robert said he does not intend to continue doing business with Food Republic and BreadTalk after his existing agreements expire.

Kam's Roast and Ju Xing Fish outlets operating at Raffles City will continue until their current contracts end in two years, but will not be renewed.

“If they come back [and offer a new agreement] now, I also don't want [it],” he told 8days.sg.
 

Robert hopes those responsible will be held accountable

In his Facebook post, Robert said that mall owners and management should take tenant treatment seriously and believes Food Republic should apologise if it finds that mistakes were made during the renewal process.

He also feels executives who support unfair control or pressure on tenants should be held accountable.  

Asked what outcome he was hoping for, Robert said he would like to see an apology from the company.

He also said he hopes BreadTalk investigates the matter and takes action if it finds wrongdoing.

"I want an apology, and hopefully, they fire the two executives responsible," he said.

However, Robert stressed that he was not demanding that the employees be dismissed.

"I am not demanding that they fire them whatsoever," he said.

"[But] if they are sincere, they would apologise."

 
Looking for a new location

As for the Ion Orchard outlet, Robert said the company is now looking for a new location.

Kam's Roast currently operates a restaurant at Jewel Changi Airport and another stall at The Food Place by Food Republic at Raffles City.

He added that while efforts will be made to redeploy the outlet's five employees, job losses cannot be ruled out.

"We'll see what we can do," he shared.

Photos: 8days.sg, Facebook/Kam’s Roast, Food Republic