Lai Heng minced meat noodle owner puts biz up for sale at $500k, finds successor in family after talks fall through

They're keeping it all in the family. For now, at least.

Months after Lee Hwee Peng, owner of the popular Lai Heng Mushroom Minced Meat Noodle stall in Toa Payoh announced that he was selling his secret recipe and business for $500,000, the offer is now temporarily off the table.

Instead, Lee's younger sister and stall "manager" Wee Kim, 58, has taken over the reins of the long-running family business, reported Shin Min Daily News.

Lai Heng Mushroom Minced Meat Noodle, located at Blk 73 Toa Payoh Lorong 4, has been in operation for the past 37 years with 64-year-old Lee at the helm.

The halted sale is not for the lack of bidders though.

Wee Kim told Shin Min that news of the business put up for sale attracted 10 interested parties within a six-month period.

The number was whittled down to "seven or eight" whom family members spoke to, she said. But in the end, the sale failed to materialise as both sides could not see eye-to-eye on the terms.

Wee Kim, who's worked at the stall for the past three decades, shared that most of the people who expressed interest were investors that were only keen to have shares in the business or contribute capital, leaving the family to continue operating the stall.

That went against the family's original intention to let go of the business entirely and retire, she said.

"My third brother (owner Lee) is no longer young but will still come to the stall for two or three hours a day. My eldest brother and second sister will also come to help out occasionally, but this business is tough and everyone is getting on in years.

"Even my niece who works at the stall is 50 years old and her arm is giving her problems," shared Wee Kim, whose 35-year-old daughter was also roped in to help 10 years ago.

She explained: "My daughter has the heart (for the business), but she can't manage it by herself. It's difficult to hire outsiders too, that was why we initially wanted to sell the business."

It was Wee Kim's son and daughter-in-law who eventually encouraged and persuaded their mother to take over the running of the stall, after seeing how reluctant she was to let go of the business.

"They encouraged me by saying that if I'm still up to it physically, then why not just continue for now," said Wee Kim. "They added that they'll try to help out whenever they can if they're not working, for example during the weekends which is the busiest time."

Wee Kim shared that with the encouragement from the younger generation, "we decided not to sell it for the time being and will continue to work together with my family to run it".

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But according to interviews with 8Days and Shin Min, that decision may still change, if the right buyer comes along, or if Wee Kim's daughter is ready to take up the mantle.

"We'll take it one step at a time. Who knows, maybe in time when my daughter has more experience, we may be the ones helping her out instead," said Wee Kim to the Chinese evening daily.

Online, loyal customers of the stall have rejoiced at the news that their favourite bak chor mee will "not be changing owners", with a recent post shared to the Can Eat! Hawker Food Facebook page.

"Their bak chor mee has remained consistently good with fresh ingredients, after all these years — probably because it's family-operated with well-guarded recipes," wrote one fan.

According to the customer, the wait for a bowl of noodles can be up to one hour during peak periods.

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candicecai@asiaone.com

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