Why S’pore’s Champion Bolo Bun Queen, 26, Opened American Sandwich Shop Don’t Runaway

Test kitchen disguised as a sandwich pop-up

Don't Runaway isn't just another pop-up – it's market research disguised as a restaurant. Currently open from Fridays to Sundays at her old Dickson shop space in Joo Chiat, it offers free tastings via the eatery’s custom app that gathers real-time feedback. 

"This is really our test kitchen," she admits. "We want to gather feedback and connect with potential franchisees."

When pressed about expansion plans and investment figures, she's pragmatic: "Action speaks louder than words. I'd rather let the work show for itself than make promises I might not keep."

Her bottom line: "At 26, if I'm going to go into business, I want something I can scale in volume and numbers globally." 

How does one her age have such enormous resources? Loyi revealed in a previous 8days.sg interview that she had a sleeping partner for Champion. We’re told it is now 100% owned by her. Don’t Runaway is also under The Platform Collective, an F&B group founded and owned by the young businesswoman.

Why Champion Bolo Bun only has one outlet after four years

Champion has been a beloved concept for over four years now, so why hasn't she expanded it beyond its solo outlet in Tanjong Pagar?

"It's not that we are closed off [expansion] completely. We're just looking for the right time, right partners, right location,” she explains.

"Tanjong Pagar is a very centralised location and we're happy where we are," she adds. "We have a lot of tourist crowds, people go to Chinatown, people go to Maxwell. If our first store were further in the west, then yes, I might consider opening another cafe concept. But Tanjong Pagar is so centralised."

Her philosophy? "Good things don't have to be in multiple locations."

However, she's open to different formats locally: "If we're going into the packaged goods or snacks section, then that’s something we’d consider."

Selling bolo buns alone isn’t enough

"With Champion, we are unable to serve people four meals a day – breakfast, lunch, dinner, and supper," she admits. "Champion’s buns aren’t something that can be consumed daily."

Her bigger vision is about accessibility, "I want to create a concept where anyone could just walk through our doors, and everyone in their family can choose something of their liking and be able to afford it."

"Champion will always be my first baby, and I still love it to this very day," she says with genuine warmth. "But I know that it's still lacking in what I truly want to do with F&B."

How Champion is thriving amid Singapore’s challenging F&B scene

Despite today’s tough F&B climate, Champion is not just surviving – it's attracting new demographics, she says. "In the last year or so, we are seeing a lot more ‘angmohs’ coming in. This is something that's a shocker to us because it's Asian food, right? But we're seeing consistent growth in this demographic."

This global appeal is why overseas expansion remains the priority. "We would like to prioritise expanding to the West." Why? "More Asian representation in the West – it would be a really good move for the brand."

And what about Hong Kong, where bolo buns originated? "I definitely will not close my doors to that. I reckon that will be super interesting."

She adds that the business has had to adjust prices due to rising costs of raw materials like butter, sugar, and eggs – often with suppliers giving less than a week's notice for price increases. Since opening in 2021, prices have crept up: the classic bolo bun went from $4.50 to $5.40, classic with butter from $5 to $6, and the signature curry potato from $6 to $7.

Her reason for giving up Dickson Nasi Lemak

Opened in 2022, Dickson Nasi Lemak stood out by serving ayam goreng berempah nasi lemak made with the same recipe as Village Park restaurant, famous in Loyi’s native Kuala Lumpur. 

Loyi expanded to a second dine-in outlet at Tanjong Pagar, which still operates today under new management — she sold the biz in 2024.

She shares that profitability wasn’t the issue. "It definitely was in the green," she says bluntly. "I was happy with the numbers, but no, it's not the sole reason why I sold it.” She adds that NDAs prevent her from disclosing the finer details of the sale, but stresses profit wasn’t the deciding factor.

At the heart of her decision was scalability. While Dickson Nasi Lemak was successful, she knew the concept could not be replicated consistently across overseas markets.

"For its sambal – the chilli paste relies on fresh chillies. Like fruits, you can buy the same brand of apple today and tomorrow, but tomorrow's might not be as sweet," she explains. "When you're dealing with natural produce, it's very tough to scale globally."

Why American sandwiches?

It all began with a trip to New York in late 2023. Loyi, who describes herself as someone who "cannot survive three days without rice or noodles," packed instant noodles and researched Asian grocers before leaving Singapore.

"I was shocked at myself – I could eat sandwiches two, three meals a day there without any issue."

Subsequent trips to Philadelphia, Chicago, LA, San Francisco, and Boston became R&D missions to "lay proper groundwork" and become more exposed to American sandwich culture. By the end of it all, she'd spent close to three months eating American sandwiches.

"I found myself falling in love with the sandwich culture there," she says. "Every city had its own style, but what really struck me was how personal and creative sandwiches could be.”

“Before I curate any brand concept, it's very important for me to have a personal emotional attachment to the dish."

Why she ditched her baking skills for buns imported from America 

Having studied the process of bread-making in Taipei for a year, and being Singapore’s bolo bun queen with serious baking credentials, Don't Runaways’ current menu buys its potato flour buns from the US instead of baking them in-house. Why?

"We are fillings first," she explains. "The base is secondary, so we outsource it."

"Don't get me wrong – it does not mean we do not take the bread seriously. You have no idea how much bread we've eaten in the past months just to get the right one."

Isn’t the American-style sandwich market in Singapore pretty competitive already?

"The biggest differentiation between us and other concepts is that we are not niching into a particular ingredient or base," she explains. "Our concept is free-form with rotating menus and constant creative drops."

Don’t Runaway’s menu

Don’t Runaway’s menu reads like a fever dream: Mortadel-lah (Italian mortadella with stracciatella cheese and yuzu kosho), Jack & Loaded (slow-cooked jackfruit chilli), The Side Chick (shawarma-spiced smoked chicken), and Beef Me Up (tan tan mian-inspired yakiniku beef brisket with peanut butter and house-made tallow chilli crunch).

How to snag a free sandwich 

Download Don’t Runaway’s custom app, available on App Store or Google Play, sign up as a member, and you’re all set. Each week’s sandwich will be listed on the app, and when you swing by the pop-up, a staff member will scan a QR code. Go early, because there’s only a limited number of sandwiches — and free cokes — available each day. Each weekend showcases just one sarnie.

The first sandwich in the line-up is The Side Chick, featuring smoked chicken drizzled in white sauce, with pumpkin dukkah. Think chicken shawarma, but in a potato flour bun.

Don’t Runaway’s pop-up shop is located at 320 Joo Chiat Rd, S427571. Open on Fri to Sun, from 11.30am till sold out. More info via Instagram.

Photos: Don’t Runaway, 8 Days

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