Founder BKT Has Closed 2 Outlets & is Left with 2 Outlets in S’pore

The Covid-19 pandemic has been especially hard on our stomachs.

Not because we’re eating more junk food to compensate for the stress of the pandemic, but because so many of our favourite eateries have closed down.

F&B establishments are being snuffed out left, right, and centre, and those who have managed to stay afloat have had to resort to drastic, cost-cutting measures to do so.

This is why Founder Bak Kut Teh, a popular Bak Kut Teh chain in Singapore, made an online plea for customers to visit the chain last year, as business allegedly dropped by 85%.

Unfortunately for the restaurant, the plea doesn’t seem to have worked.

Founder BKT Has Closed 2 Outlets & is Left with 2 Outlets in S’pore

The home-grown chain has been forced to close two of its four outlets, leaving it with its Balestier Road flagship store and an outlet at Downtown East in Pasir Ris.

It closed its North Bridge Road branch at the end of October last year, and shuttered the one in Hotel Boss in Jalan Sultan on 31 Dec, according to The Straits Times.

We have the coronavirus to thank for this, of course.

According to second-generation owner Nigel Chua, the pandemic had a significant impact on the business of the two closed outlets.

“The Bugis outlet depended mainly on tourists and the office crowd, both of whom were non-existent in October. And 90% of the diners at Hotel Boss were tourists.”

Made Online Plea

Back in July 2020, Mr Chua made a plea on the chain’s Facebook page, hoping to save the restaurant from going under.

Some netizens promised to support the restaurants, while others criticised him for making what they believed to be a shameless publicity stunt during a time of mass closures.

In his post, Mr Chua claimed business had dropped by 85% at the time, and urged netizens to visit the restaurant.

The online plea worked, but business soon plummeted again.

Even the two outlets that are still open are making only 20 to 30% of what it earned before the pandemic.

Opened Outlet in China

Last year, some netizens were outraged to learn that the chain opened an outlet in Chengdu, following its online plea for more customers.

However, the restaurant clarified that the outlet is a “franchise model” and that its opening was planned before Covid-19 hit.

The restaurant also has a presence in  Indonesia, Vietnam, and Taiwan, though all of them are not doing well, with the exception of Taiwan.

Mr Chua told ST he will decide at the end of this week if he will close the Pasir Ris branch.

His Downtown East outlet may also be in trouble, as his contract with the mall will end in the middle of March.

But he plans to keep his flagship store along Balestier Road running, hoping that business will pick up after Chinese New Year.

Founder Bak Kut Teh first opened as a coffee shop in 1978, before moving to Balestier Road in 1998.

Featured Image: Founder Bak Kut Teh