Biggest 'thank you' to hawkers is when customers come back for generations

SINGAPORE - The hawker industry here has been in the spotlight lately as many first-generation stall owners are reaching the age of retirement, some of them with no successors to continue serving the various street food dishes cherished by most Singaporeans.

The future of Singapore's iconic street food culture is not all bleak, however.

There are still those who are keeping that tradition alive.

And Tiger Beer is rallying Singaporeans to show their appreciation to this breed of next-generation hawkers with its Uncage Street Food Movement.

Ask these two hawkers, and they'll tell you that the biggest "thank you" message they have received is seeing their customers coming back generation after generation.

Mr David Lee, owner of chicken rice restaurant Lee Fun Nam Kee, told AsiaOne that there is no lack of such multi-generational families at his eatery, which evolved from a stall in a hawker centre near its current location in Toa Payoh Lorong 4.

One of its long-standing customers is 68-year-old Mr Ken Tan, who began patronising the eatery over 40 years ago when he was 22, and when founder Lee Nam was still in charge.

Mr Tan discovered Lee Fun Nam Kee because it was just a few streets away from home, and fell in love with its speciality soya sauce chicken rice immediately.

He still drives down regularly for that although he has moved to Jalan Kayu.

And, as though it were a family heirloom, he has passed down his love for Lee Fun Nam Kee to his two children, who are also fans.

Very soon, he will be introducing the restaurant to the oldest of his three grandchildren, who is four.

"He will probably have the chicken porridge as he can't really eat solid foods yet. But when he can, I will make sure to bring him here for the chicken rice," Mr Tan told AsiaOne over a meal there.

The semi-retiree added that the same will go for his two other grandchildren when they get to a suitable age. One is three years old and the other was born two months ago.

"I'll tell them: 'This is your grandfather's favourite place for chicken rice', and reminisce with them the fond times I had here," he said.

Mr Tan is someone who treasures good food, good friends and good memories.

He has found all of these at Lee Fun Nam Kee, thanks to second-generation owners Mr David and Richard Lee who are keeping their late father's shop going.

The gratitude is mutual.

"There's nothing I'm more thankful for than to have customers who become friends and form such priceless relationships," David, 50, said.

Another hawker in Katong shares the same sentiments.

To Mr Desmond Ng, owner of Eng's Noodles House, returning customers are proof that his efforts to sustain the legacy of his late grandfather's wonton noodles are being recognised.

Eng's is famous for its spicy chilli sauce and al dente noodles, which Mr Ng acknowledges can be off-putting to some.

"I'm just happy that there are those who like it and come back, including those who bring their children and even grandchildren - that's the highest form of acknowledgement a hawker can receive," Mr Ng told AsiaOne, while occasionally greeting familiar faces that enter his four-year-old shop.

And one such loyal customer is sales executive Ms Angie Foo.

Speaking to AsiaOne, she recalled how family weekends - with everybody from her grandparents to her uncles and aunts - were spent at Dunman Food Centre, where the Eng's Char Siew Wan Ton Mee stall had been since 1976 before shifting to its current premises.

A significant part of her growing up years, Eng's was something Ms Foo wanted her only child to know about.

"I didn't know whether she would like it because my husband is not fascinated by it, but I thought it was important to let my daughter know about this place which means so much to me," said Ms Foo.

To her delight, her 12-year-old also became fond of the wonton noodles (sans the chilli).

"Whenever I am in the east, she will ask me to buy Eng's," the Bukit Panjang resident, who is in her 40s, said.

"I'm very happy that I can share my childhood comfort food with her."

Ms Foo knows that this would not have been possible had Mr Ng not succeeded his late father Mr Thomas Ng, and is grateful for that.

In turn, Mr Ng said it is meeting multi-generational patrons like Ms Foo who make his day.

"Many have come up to me to tell me that they were brought to Eng's by their grandparents, and now they're bringing their own children!" said Mr Ng.

"I'm glad because I think that's a testament that I'm carrying on my grandfather's and father's work the right way. That's all I'm committed to accomplishing."

Thank people like Mr Lee and Mr Ng, who are striving to preserve Singapore's street food culture, by taking part in Tiger Beer's Uncage Street Food Movement.

Share photos of your favourite street food experiences on social media with a "thank you message" to the hawkers behind them, using the hashtag #uncagestreetfood.

There will also be five weekly street food dining events at select coffeeshops starting Sept 14, where diners can get a free meal on Tiger Beer.

The local brew will also launch the inaugural Tiger Street Food Support Fund for 30 for new hawkers who have set up a cooked local food stall in a hawker centre or coffeeshop within the last three months, or who are entering the trade for the first time (as of Aug 15, 2016).

Up to 30 eligible applicants will be selected.

Each of them will receive up to $10,000 via reimbursements. The amount can be used to offset costs for any aspect of the hawkers' businesses except for rental costs.

Applications are open till Nov 15 and recipients will be announced in Jan 2017.

This story is part of a collaboration between AsiaOne and Tiger Beer's #uncagedstreetfood movement.

huizhen@sph.com.sg

Additional reporting by Chen Jingwen.