For decades, Greenview Cafe has been a go-to spot for diners in town, thanks to its pocket-friendly prices.
Even as food prices rise amid the Middle East conflict, the 43-year-old eatery is lowering the prices of its offerings, as it relocates from Far East Plaza to a coffee shop in Ang Mo Kio.
At the new stall named Greenview Handmade Mee Hoon Kueh, the Minced Meat Mee Hoon Kueh will be sold at $4.90 instead of $6.90. Meanwhile, the price of its popular Mala Mee Hoon Kueh will drop from $10.90 to $7.50.
Speaking to AsiaOne, Lyn Bong and Eve Bong, the sisters who have been running the eatery since 2019, shared that the prices of most dishes will fall by around 20 to 30 per cent.
“The older diners will not be able to pay so much, so we thought we needed something to attract them, such as lower prices. We wanted to make it more affordable,” Lyn, 40, told us in an interview on Wednesday (April 15).
Lyn and Eve also noted that the other stalls in their coffee shop offer dishes at an average price of $4, so they have to remain competitive.
At first, the Malaysian-born sisters considered closing Greenview Cafe for good.
According to them, their lease at Far East Plaza was up and the landlord wanted to raise the rent, which was under $10,000 per month. Despite their marketing efforts, there was low footfall, said Eve, 45.
The previous owner of Greenview Cafe, Patty Pang, also told them she supported whichever decisions the sisters made because she understood that times are tough.
“We didn’t think of continuing the business until March,” said Lyn.
“From end-December to then, we kept wondering if we should shut down or continue. We were not looking for a new location because we just wanted to tell the landlord whether we were staying or going.”
The sisters noticed that many diners prefer to have their meals in the heartlands or in the Central Business District.
Over the years, business at Far East Plaza has also slowed down after several popular tenants moved out.
But despite all these factors, they wanted to continue running the business because they are proud of their food.
“That is why we decided to move somewhere with a more regular crowd for breakfast, lunch and dinner,” Lyn explained.
While looking for a new home for Greenview Cafe, the sisters ruled out any units in Orchard Road.
They found the rent in shopping malls and food courts too expensive, so they opted for a coffee shop stall instead. The rental of their new stall is 30 per cent lower than what they are paying for their unit at Far East Plaza.
Moving from a shopping mall to a coffee shop, however, also meant changing their business strategy.
One adjustment they had to make was reducing the number of menu items and streamlining costs.
But the owners have also saved money in other ways. For instance, they no longer need to employ someone to serve food, as diners have to collect it themselves. They also won’t have to worry about cleaning tables as the coffee shop already provides the service.
While searching for a new location, Lyn focused on areas with new housing estates or dense residential populations.
But they also had to consider other factors such as availability, budget and competition.
“Since my sister and I decided that our purpose of the move was to lower costs, we needed to find a place where the rental fit our budget,” Lyn said.
On top of that, Greenview Cafe specialises in ban mian and mee hoon kueh — dishes commonly offered in coffee shops.
“This narrowed down our options,” Lyn said.
The sisters managed to find a coffee shop stall in Ang Mo Kio, which is surrounded by a supermarket, bakery, and car park. It is also well-positioned for food delivery, helping them expand their reach across the area.
As Greenview Cafe transitions from Far East Plaza to Greenview Handmade Mee Hoon Kueh in Ang Mo Kio, there will be an overlap.
It’s business as usual in the shopping mall until June 30, while the coffee shop stall will open on May 1.
This has been a hectic period for the sisters because this is the first time they are opening an F&B business from scratch.
“For the Far East Plaza branch, all we had to do was pay money and everything was already there. Now, we have to make new purchases and it is stressful because we need to know what we actually need,” Lyn told us.
“As we are running both eateries at the same time, we cannot bring anything from the Far East Plaza outlet over to the new outlet.”
While both Lyn and Eve oversee operations, they have distinct roles. Lyn manages branding and marketing, while Eve, who is better with numbers, handles finance and administration.
From customers to friends
Greenview Cafe was first opened in 1983 by Patty and her husband.
Lyn and Eve, who own a chain of hair salons called Empire Charme, also had an outlet in Far East Plaza. For over 20 years, the sisters were regular customers of the eatery.
Whenever the sisters dined at Greenview Cafe, Patty would occasionally mention that they were capable of taking over her business, given their experience running hair salons.
One day, Patty approached them and asked if they would seriously consider her proposition.
According to Lyn, Patty wanted to sell the business because she was “not emotionally ready” to run it after her husband’s death. On top of that, she had to go for knee surgery.
“It was very painful for her to run the business, both emotionally and physically,” Lyn shared.
Although Patty’s request came during the Covid-19 pandemic, the sisters felt it would be a waste if no one continued running Greenview Cafe. They also didn’t mind taking over the eatery as their hair salon business was stable.
“It was a very personal decision. If it were purely for money, I feel that closing the business would have been a better decision,” Lyn said.
So, they bought the eatery for around $60,000.
Lyn said she felt the price was reasonable — it included Greenview Cafe’s brand, furnishings and kitchen equipment, as well as a trained team to run it.
They didn’t have to hire anyone new because employees were willing to stay on despite a change in owners.
Not closing, but moving
Following recent news reports of Greenview Cafe leaving Far East Plaza after 43 years, some people misunderstood that the eatery was closing for good, Lyn told us.
This led to long queues during lunch because customers wanted to dine there “one last time”.
“A lot of them messaged us to ask why we are closing, and we had to explain to them that we are not closing, but moving,” she recounted.
The sisters didn’t realise how popular Greenview Cafe was until the news broke.
“When people heard that we were moving out of Far East Plaza, they told us they liked our food. Otherwise, we had no idea how strong the brand had become,” said Lyn.
The turnout also surprised Lyn and Eve, who had thought that people were not interested in their food anymore.
Others supported the business relocation and sent the sisters encouraging messages.
While Lyn and Eve will be able to see their regulars at the new stall, one thing they can’t bring along with them is their fellow tenants at Far East Plaza.
“We will miss the community. My sister and I have known a lot of the other business owners there for a long time. We all grew old together,” said Lyn.
When the sisters told fellow tenants in the shopping mall that they’re moving out, there was a mix of emotions.
“They were sad, but they were also excited because they feel that Far East Plaza is now very quiet and that our move is good as it takes guts,” she said.
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Address: Blk 122 Ang Mo Kio Ave 3, #01-1771, Stall 3, Singapore 570122
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