'I felt like the biggest failure': Woman opens up about what it's like to shut down her food business

Running a food business comes with plenty of challenges.
And when things aren't going your way, it might be best to pull the plug.
Sharon Poon lived through this experience when she ran her own eatery, Eat 3 Cuts, located in Arc 380 building at Jalan Besar.
The humble food joint, which opened in 2019, served roasted duck.
But it only lasted a couple of years and Sharon had to shut it down in 2022.
In a TikTok video shared on Jan 3, the food entrepreneur revealed how she felt about having to make such a tough business decision back then.
@sharonpoonn This post was supposed to go live last year but I procrastinated till 2024 😅 I have mixed feelings about posting and sharing such private thoughts in a public space, but many customers have asked about what happened to Eat 3 Cuts, and what's going on now with Pipa Duck Brioche Burgers, so here is the story! #sgfood #smallbusinesssingapore ♬ original sound - Sharon Poon
Sharon explained that she knew Eat 3 Cuts was getting "too clunky" at one point.
She added: "It was going nowhere and the right thing to do was to cut it off, like a toxic ex."
When the decision was made to close Eat 3 Cuts, Sharon first felt a sense of relief.
A whirlwind of emotions followed soon after, including guilt, sadness and fear.
The cycle of negative thoughts continued as she questioned if there'd ever be another opportunity to revive her food business.
Most of all, Sharon mentioned how disappointed she was with herself.
"I felt like the biggest failure of my life. I had to let go of my staff, work things out with the landlord and cleared off the place," she said.
But after a year-long break, Sharon felt she was ready to test herself once again in the food industry.
In December 2023, Sharon opened Pipa Duck Brioche Burgers, a hawker stall in Geylang.
Having learned from her experience with Eat 3 Cuts, she noted how she was "a lot more" cautious this time around.
"I did multiple calculations for each decision," she said.
Despite the closure of her previous food venture, Sharon understood that it need not be seen as a complete failure.
Fans of Eat 3 Cuts would be happy to hear that she has kept the roasting methods exactly the same at Pipa Duck Brioche Burgers.
Their Pipa Duck Brioche Burger Slides ($15) comes in a set of three along with fries and salad on the side.
The signature charcoal roasted pipa duck is sandwiched in a buttery brioche mini burger bun with some lettuce and a slice of tomato.
Other mains include the Eight Spice Chicken Brioche Burger ($7.90) and Signature Sauce Shredded Duck Burger ($8.90).
AsiaOne has reached out to Sharon.
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