The clock is ticking, and the fate of this heritage eatery in Geylang remains uncertain.
Earlier this month, Taiwanese eatery Yong He Eating House announced it will close on Nov 30 if no one is willing to fork out $300,000 to either take over or invest in the business.
Specialising in Taiwanese fare such as soya bean milk, you tiao (fried doughsticks) as well as lu rou fan (braised meat rice) and omelettes, the 24-hour eatery is helmed by third-generation owner Dong Han Zhong.
The brand was brought to Singapore in 1986 by his father, after his grandfather took over the business from its founder in Taiwan in 1955.
Nearly 40 years and two relocations later, business at Yong He Eating House is a far cry from its heyday.
In fact, this supper spot may soon become a thing of the past.
When AsiaOne visited on Thursday (Nov 27) morning, the shabby unit was mostly empty with only two staff members manning the eatery.
By evening, business started to pick up as customers streamed in, occupying the majority of the seats and enlivening the atmosphere.
After hearing that the eatery might close soon, some of them dropped by the eatery to taste the dishes for what may be the last time.
Lawrence Lee, 45, told AsiaOne that he used to be a regular customer when Yong He Eating House was at its former location but he hasn’t visited since they relocated to 458 Geylang Road 10 years ago.
“They’re going to close for good, so I came,” said the car dealer. “It’s a bit sad, but no choice. With the economy, they can’t sustain (the business).”
‘Standard dropped so much’
In the early days when Han Zhong’s father was head chef, the eatery serving freshly made food enjoyed brisk business.
Years down the road, however, many customers started to complain about the drop in food quality and how the items were overpriced.
“Mee sua tastes weird. Beancurd not silky. Only the tea egg is decent and the soya bean drink. Sad to see this old-school soya bean place standard drop so much [sic],” one wrote in a Google review.
Another said on Facebook: “Ever since their standards dropped and items became over-priced, I stopped patronising them.”
When asked about customer feedback, Han Zhong, 46, told AsiaOne that he is aware of these sentiments. Surprisingly, he agrees with them.
“There are a lot of reasons for this, but reasons aren’t excuses. If you’re a customer, of course you’d wish to have the best food, best service, best everything,” he said.
He admitted that he’s “not that perfect” when it comes to training workers and preparing food.
Many diners also questioned the freshness of the food served at Yong He Eating House.
According to him, some employees might have prepared the food in advance to cut corners.
“If your business is good, everything is fresh, because things go out fast. But if business is bad, and workers want to skive off, they pre-prepare a lot and then think it’s wasteful to toss them,” he said.
Despite growing up in a family that ran a food business, Han Zhong shared he never saw himself taking up the reins because he “hated F&B”.
When he was younger, he’d compare himself to his friends who were well-dressed and surrounded by pretty girls.
“I’d look at myself in shorts… So dirty here and there, some marks here and there and even burn marks while being surrounded by aunties and uncles,” he said, recalling his youth spent at the eatery.
But as he grew older, he realised how hard his parents worked to earn money, and how he hadn’t been helping them.
“I realised that with every $1,500 I spent, my parents had to sell many you tiaos,” he said.
He stepped up to help his parents run Yong He Eating House when the eatery moved to its current location in 2015.
Besides that, he started new ventures that saw mixed results.
They include Yong He Toast, a takeout kiosk in Toa Payoh that shuttered in 2024 after a three-year stint, and Yong He 1986, an “express” version of the flagship store that just opened three months ago in Far East Plaza.
Yong He Toast closed due to poor business and an expiring lease, Han Zhong said.
When asked why he chose to open Yong He 1986 despite the main business’s struggles, he shared that the new venture, which is fully funded by a friend, serves as another source of income.
It will continue running even if Yong He Eating House closes.
End of a legacy?
With slowing business and manpower shortage, some owners might consider shortening the operating hours of a 24-hour eatery.
But not for Han Zhong, who said Yong He Eating House is one of the first businesses in Singapore that’s open around the clock, and he wants to keep it that way.
As the eatery now runs with only three full-time staff, the owner has taken it upon himself to help wash dishes, prepare ingredients and serve customers.
He typically works the peak period between 7pm and 1am, then takes a nap in his car before heading back to work hours later.
And this appears to have taken a toll on the tired-looking man, who shared that he hasn’t slept in his bed for the past year.
Han Zhong also told AsiaOne that the eatery is in the red due to expenses such as rental, salaries, and supplies. He had to take out personal loans to sustain the business for the past two years.
While he didn’t reveal the exact figures, he said the $300,000 he’s seeking from potential buyers is “reasonable” as it will go towards clearing the debt.
But what made him decide to put the business up for sale after running it alongside his parents for over a decade?
The turning point was when Han Zhong saw how hard his 78-year-old mother was working and how she was still worrying for him despite her health.
Due to a lack of manpower, she has since returned to help out at the eatery a month after she was discharged from hospital for a knee infection in October.
“People might think we are throwing a sad story [out] to buy people’s hearts, but [the reason for closure] is really because of my mum,” he said.
But the decision to shutter the business was not an easy one.
On Yong He Eating House’s legacy possibly ending with him at the helm, Han Zhong feels both longing and guilt, but said he is aware that it might be best for the brand if someone else takes over the reins.
Following media reports of the impending closure, the owner has received about 30 offers from interested buyers.
Yet, with the eatery’s last day fast approaching, Han Zhong is keeping his cards close to his chest about whether he has confirmed a decision.
“Hopefully, I’m not closing on the 30th. If discussions take longer, maybe I’ll close for a week,” he said.
“I can’t predict this because I’m not the one investing. Of course, I wish for the legacy to carry on.”
[[nid:719171]]
carol.ong@asiaone.com
Top In Asia
