With a diploma in marketing and management from Kaplan, Larry Lim never imagined he’d be spending his early twenties scrubbing toilets in a kopitiam. “I sent out so many resumes, but couldn’t land anything related to what I studied,” he says. After a year of trying in vain, a relative – a shareholder in a coffee shop chain – told him, ‘why not come and work for me?’.
So, while most of his peers built their careers in air-conditioned offices, Larry Lim was clearing trays and cleaning loos at a kopitiam in Tampines – the only job he could find after completing his diploma and National Service.
“I just did whatever had to be done”
“It was rough,” the now 28-year-old admits in Mandarin. “But I just did whatever had to be done.” What began as a way to earn a paycheck turned into three years of hands-on experience. Larry eventually became a supervisor, managing the whole coffee shop. Last July, he quit and opened a drinks stall called Hi Coffee at Hong Lim Food Centre. “I thought, if I can handle a whole coffeeshop, I can definitely run one stall.”
Initially lost money daily at new drinks stall before introducing matcha lattes
He invested a “low five-figure sum” to launch Hi Coffee, starting with just traditional Nanyang kopi and tea, as well as kaya toast sets. “The first four months were tough. I was losing money every day,” he recalls. “But I’d already taken the leap, so I had to make it work.”
In April this year, he introduced matcha and hojicha lattes to appeal to younger customers and boost sales margins. That’s when things finally looked up for the Gen-Z hawker. The stall started attracting queues for its five Japanese tea-based drinks ($4.20 – $7). It still offers local kopi and teh from $1.30. Kaya toast has since been dropped due to space constraints.
Larry’s girlfriend, Phaedra Tan, 26, a property agent, helps out at the stall regularly, preparing drinks and handling the brand’s social media accounts. “I don’t know if he would succeed [opening his own stall], but it’s his choice. Whatever he decides, I’ll support him,” she says sweetly.
Started from the bottom at relative’s kopitiam
Even with his relative’s connection, there was no easy way into his previous kopitiam job. “I was supposed to start as a cashier, but I couldn’t even do that properly,” he says, half-laughing. “I didn’t know the drink orders and couldn’t remember the prices.”
There was no special treatment either. “The boss there actually told the staff to tekan (Singlish slang for bully) me – no need to give me face. If I mess up, just scold me. Ask me to do everything,” he recounts matter-of-factly.
Drunk customer called him a beggar
One night, while clearing tables, Larry walked past a customer who clearly had one too many drinks. “He looked at me and loudly said that I looked like a beggar. That really pissed me off. I can still remember his face now,” he says, his voice tightening. “I’m not robbing anyone, I’m not even bothering you. I’m just doing my job. Why would you insult me like that?”
His colleagues comforted him, urging him to brush it off. “Looking back, that was the hardest phase. But it toughened me up.”
Even the most unpleasant tasks, like cleaning the kopitiam toilet, became part of the grind. “You have to time it just right, before closing. Otherwise people dirty it again right after you clean it,” he explains. “It’s a mess, but someone has to do it.”
Putting his pride aside while scrubbing bins and loos
One night, crouched by a bin scrubbing it clean, he watched a group of young people walk by, laughing on their way to supper. “That hit me hard. They were out enjoying life, and I was there in the grime. That was the only time I felt sorry for myself. I don’t think anyone my age will be able to do it. You have to really put your pride aside.”
Although he wanted to give up “many times”, Larry pressed on. “I reminded myself that this was temporary. If I kept going, I could be promoted to supervisor, maybe even area manager one day. I just had to endure.” Over three years, Larry worked his way up to kopitiam supervisor, learning every aspect of the business – from managing staff rosters to dealing with supplier hiccups.
Looking back, he understands why he had to start from the bottom. “It was to make sure I really knew what it takes to run a kopitiam. If one of the drink stall guys doesn’t show up, or the cleaner calls in sick, you have to know how to cover their job.”
“I was too arrogant back then”
With his serious resting face, Larry can come off as stern, but his candidness and dry humour quickly shine through.
“I was too arrogant back then,” he admits with a chuckle. “I quit [working at the coffeeshop] in early 2024. Got my ‘cert’ already managing a kopitiam. I thought, that’s enough, I should be good enough to run one drinks stall. It should be easy.” Spoiler alert: it wasn’t.
Hi Coffee sits in a quieter corner of Hong Lim Food Centre, flanked by only two other stalls. “Most people didn’t even know we were here. We sold less than 100 cups a day, and kopi margins are super thin,” he says. Larry recalls that he was “losing money every day”, though he declined to share the amount.
In those early months, he often revisited lessons from his coffee shop days. “Back then, I didn’t appreciate what my relative taught me and I was too impulsive. But now I get it. One step at a time. Cleanliness, quality, service, cost control – those were his pillars. Don’t just anyhow hire manpower. That’s why I run the stall alone on most days,” he reflects.
Sales boost from new matcha drinks came by chance
After watching him struggle in the first few months, a neighbouring hawker kindly pulled Larry aside. “He said, ‘You need something more unique. Local kopi is fine, but it’s not enough to survive. You need higher-margin items.’”
Photo: Google/Isaac
Larry started with oat milk coffee, but it didn’t help much. The real game changer came in April this year, when he added matcha and hojicha lattes to the menu. “Honestly, I didn’t even know they were trending,” Larry says. “I just knew the drinks. I was experimenting. If I don’t try new things, I feel like I’m giving up.”
He opted for ceremonial-grade Japanese tea powders from Niko Neko Matcha – a cult Malaysian matcha brand and wholesaler that mainly imports its products from Japan’s Mie Prefecture, a major tea-producing region. A Niko rep even taught Larry how to properly prepare the lattes. “Their stuff is legit,” he says. “It’s not cheap, but if I’m going to do this, I want to serve something I’m proud of.”
Hi Coffee’s Japanese tea drinks have begun drawing office workers and younger customers seeking more affordable cafe-style beverages.
“Our costs are high, especially with matcha,” Phaedra notes. “So while the margin is slightly better than kopi, it’s not like we’re earning a lot.”
That said, Larry does admit that he’s now earning a “more comfortable” salary compared to his kopitiam days, when he took home around $3K a month.
Long wait times of 35 to 55 minutes during peak hours
A sign at the stall warns customers: “We are very slow as one man show [sic]”. Every drink, from kopi to matcha lattes, is made to order. Larry cold-whisks his Japanese teas using both a traditional chasen (Japanese bamboo tea whisk) and an electric blender, while kopi is brewed fresh each time. Wait times can stretch to 35 – 55 minutes during peak hours.
Both Larry and Phaedra, the latter who usually helps out on weekends, have had to manage the occasional impatient customer. “At first, it was hard not to take it personally,” she says. “But now we’ve learned to just focus on doing our best.”
For those hoping to skip the crowd, Larry recommends dropping by around 9am on weekdays – just after the office morning rush.
At peace with being a hawker, no plans to switch to corporate job
For now, Larry isn’t rushing into expansion. “No point thinking about a second stall when this one isn’t perfect yet,” he says. His focus is on refining what he already offers and keeping the menu fresh. He’s currently experimenting with a dark-roasted hojicha drink, a deeper, toastier version of the hojicha latte that’s already become a customer favourite.
The long hours and physical work don’t faze him – in fact, Larry seems energised by the daily grind. “I think F&B is the right place for me,” he says simply. “I like the pace and I enjoy talking to my customers and the other hawkers. It just suits me.”
While many of his peers are climbing corporate ladders, Larry has no plans to swap his stall for a desk job. “Actually, some of my customers who work in offices tell me they envy me,” he laughs. “They say I’m lucky to be doing my own thing.”
Iced Matcha Latte, $5 (8 DAYS Pick!)
Made with cold-whisked ceremonial-grade matcha and fresh milk, this is a solid pick for matcha lovers. While it could be a touch creamier, it still hits all the right notes: pleasantly bitter, grassy, and smooth, with just enough depth indicative of real matcha – not the sugary, pre-mixed kind.
Iced Hojicha Latte, $4.20 (8 DAYS Pick!)
Smoky, nutty, and mellow – this iced hojicha latte delivers on everything you want in a roasted green tea drink. It’s not too sweet, and the roasted tea aroma comes through nicely, leaving a warm, toasty finish that lingers.
Iced Wakoucha Latte, $4.50 (8 DAYS Pick!)
Our top pick of the bunch. This Japanese black tea latte is unlike anything else you’ll find at a hawker stall – or even some cafes. Think toasted sesame, dark chocolate, a whisper of floral notes and a deep, earthy body. Incredibly layered and just the thing if you’re tired of your usual matcha or hojicha order.
Iced Strawberry Matcha Latte, $7
A fruity spin on the usual matcha latte. The strawberry puree, from premium French brand Monin, is sweet yet tangy, still allowing the stronger matcha flavours to shine through. It’s pretty to look at, and thankfully, not a sugar bomb.
Iced Genmai Latte, $4.50
If you like your tea lattes with a dessert-like twist, this roasted brown rice blend is for you. It smells like cereal and tastes like rice crackers — in a good way. Comforting, nutty, and a little nostalgic.
Coffee, $1.40
This no-frills kopi is very gao and packs a punch – though it leans on the sweeter side. A no-nonsense caffeine jolt that gets the job done.
The details
Hi Coffee is at #02-41 Hong Lim Market & Food Centre, 531A Upp Cross St, S051531. Open daily 8.30am – 3.45pm. More info via Instagram & TikTok.
Photos: Dillon Tan
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