Viral Gen Z School Canteen Vendor Who Closed Stall Sells Matcha From HDB Bedroom Window
We first discovered 27-year-old Rayner Tan several months ago on TikTok, where clips of him toasting prata and plating vegetarian meals at Hearty Green, a vegetarian canteen stall in Mee Toh School in Punggol, caught our eye. Before long, we dove down a rabbit hole of comforting videos showing different parts of his life.
One moment, he’s cycling to school before dawn; the next, he’s chatting with students who recognise him from social media. And in another, he’s highlighting his home-based biz hustle after wrapping up a day at the canteen.
More recently, a now-deleted clip of him ‘educating’ primary school kids (their faces are always blurred for privacy) on basic manners became viral online. On the final day (18 Nov) of school before the holidays, Rayner revealed that he would not be renewing his contract with the school.
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From engineer to canteen cook
School canteen stalls in Singapore are typically run by aunties or uncles. Seeing a Gen Z vendor behind the counter is rare and refreshing. “It was my first time working in a school canteen,” he tells 8days.sg. “I started in August this year.”
Before Rayner started cooking for kids, the NUS engineering science degree holder was an engineer. He worked for a year in a semiconductor firm, earning a stable income, before he decided to leave. “I wanted to do volunteer work in Sapporo, Japan for a year,” he says.
That year abroad was part of a mission trip, where he helped with his church’s activities and took part in cultural exchange programmes. He introduced dishes like chicken rice and laksa, cooked from scratch, and discovered how food could bring people together.
“I was always the one who volunteered to cook,” he recalls with a grin. “And two of my teammates were primary school teachers. They told me about school canteens back home, and that got me thinking.”
When he returned to Singapore in July this year, he began searching online for canteen stall openings. One posting from Mee Toh School caught his eye. “The rent was low, and it was near his home. The only stalls available were halal noodles or vegetarian food. I’m not vegetarian, but I thought it’d be a good challenge,” he shares.
How internet virality changed things for him
While he was still a canteen stall operator, Rayner woke up around 5.10am, cycled to school and started prepping meals for the kids by 6.10am. His stall ran till 3pm, and most of that time was spent cooking, washing dishes and keeping up with a steady line of students and staff. “The rent was only $15 a month, which sounds great,” he says. “But the margins were very small. Prices are fixed: $2 or $2.50 for bigger portions.”
Earlier this month, one of his TikTok videos showed a student tossing money at him. Rayner gently chided the kiddo, whose face was censored, to pass the money back to him properly. The clip, which boasted over two million views, had many netizens praising Rayner for the way he corrected the student and used the moment to teach basic manners.
But virality came with its own problems. Soon after, a complaint was made to the school, and Rayner was told that his video had to be removed.
He had explained in a now-deleted TikTok video that the school informed him that a parent made a complaint about the viral video, although he does not know who the parent was or if there were other complaints.
Rayner tells 8days.sg that he has received lots of support from netizens. “I am slightly overwhelmed, but I hope that it won't affect my personal life,” he says.
Used to earn up to $6,000 monthly as an engineer
So why did he stop running his canteen stall? “I wasn’t asked to leave [the school canteen stall],” Rayner tells 8days.sg. “Yes, the complaint played a small part in my decision to go, but the main reason was really because the financials were painful.”
According to the Gen Z entrepreneur, he earned between $4,000 and $6,000 a month as an engineer. Presently, his most recent combined income from the canteen stall biz and his home-based cafe Corner Pane (more on that later) hovers around $1,000 to $3,000. He no longer gives his parents a regular allowance, though they understand his situation. He says they are supportive of his career choices.
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Focusing on home-based cafe now, may open brick and mortar shop
Now, Rayner is turning his energy to Corner Pane, his tiny home-based cafe selling drinks like ice matcha latte and coffee, from his bedroom window in Punggol. Yes, a bedroom window within a four-room flat he shares with his parents.
He lives on the ground floor of a canary-yellow HDB block, where he has turned part of his room into a modest café setup. There’s a fridge, a counter, and a small window that opens out to a patch of grass, where he has laid down a few floor tiles to form a makeshift walkway.
Here, customers can place their orders through the window and wait while he brews and pours. There is no dining in, but customers can pre-order their drinks online.
Rayner runs the place on alternate days for now, usually from 3pm to 8pm. Most of his customers are neighbours, or people who found him on social media.
Rayner tells 8days.sg that his ceremonial-grade matcha comes from Uji, Japan, and Jeju Island, South Korea.
Now that he has just wrapped up his canteen stint, he will take a short vacation before coming back to focus on Corner Pane. He has also started looking for a small space to open a “café-style stall” where he can bring both food and drinks together.
Rayner remains tight-lipped about where the new outlet is going to be but hints at securing a space as early as mid-December if things go as planned.
Why not go back to his former job, which paid a stable salary? “I am not ruling out a career back in engineering,” Rayner clarifies. “But since I am still in this F&B space, I wanted to do it a little longer.”
8days.sg tries these drinks and snacks from Corner Pane:
Matcha Latte, $5
Smooth and full-bodied, this matcha has a pleasant bitterness with that distinct vegetal note you get from good quality tea. It’s not too milky, so the earthiness shines through.
Strawberry Matcha Latte, $6
This layered drink with house-made strawberry purée is one of Rayner’s most popular offerings. The fruit adds a gentle sweetness that rounds off the matcha’s bitterness nicely.
Iced Latte, $4
Brewed with a blend of arabica and robusta beans, though with the mild tang and floral aroma, we suspect there’s more of the former here. Quite pleasant.
Speculoos Banana Chia Pudding, $4.50
Breakfast dressed as dessert. This cup of banana, strawberry, and matcha chia pudding is creamy, but a little lumpy. The crushed Speculoos on top adds crunch and sweetness.
Wonton Nachos, $4
Fried wonton skins topped with bright house-made salsa and garlic aioli. The skins used to get soggy when he poured the dips on top, which happened when we tried it, so he’s since moved them to the side. Otherwise, it’s a simple, snacky combo that works best when eaten right away.
Corner Pane is at the ground floor of Blk 645 Punggol Central, S820645. Open Mon, Wed & Fri 5pm to 8pm. Visit Instagram or TikTok for more info.
Photos: Sng Ler Jun and Rayner Tan
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