Popular Hawker-Turned-Home-Based Min Jiang Kueh Seller Closing Down After Many Customers Ghosted Him

Last Updated on 2022-11-26 , 10:40 am

A staple breakfast item for Singaporeans, Min Jiang Kueh is a sinful but delicious dish. It is a pancake commonly filled with peanuts and other pastes such as red beans and chocolate.

Singapore is home to many famous Min Jiang Kueh stores; one, in particular, is Kueh Pulau Pinang, located at Buangkok Crescent.

The stall is run by Mr Zhang, who is 74 years old this year, and his wife.

Sadly, Mr Zhang and his wife is planning to retire after they are through with the current batch of ingredients.

Business Started in 2019

According to Lianhe Zaobao, Mr Zhang started his business three years ago in 2019 somewhere in Buangkok.

However, in August 2022, the stall closed down for unknown reasons.

After closing, the couple decided to open up shop again, this time from the comfort of their home located at Buangkok Crescent as a home-based business.

Business at Home Was Initially Good

In the same interview, Mr Zhang mentioned that when news picked up about the new home business, many people flocked to his house to place their orders.

Business was initially good for a few weeks. However, he revealed that as the hype died down, he was earning as little as $5 to $30 a day.

He then compares his current earnings to that of when he had a physical stall, saying that he used to be able to earn $100 to $200 a day easily.

Despite many customers mentioning that his Min Jiang Kueh tastes delicious, they stay far away from Buangkok.

This means that it is not convenient for them to buy from Mr Zhang as they would have to travel a long distance.

To add to the obstacles, Mr Zhang mentions that he is old and unfamiliar with the new technologies.

He goes on to mention that because of him not knowing how applications work, he is unable to make use of food delivery services to help with his business.

Finally, to make matters worse for Mr Zhang, he says that multiple customers have placed orders via the phone with him, but they did not show up, which gave him a fear of accepting orders in advance.

Ingredients cannot Last Long

When speaking about his preparation methods, Mr Zhang says that his red bean fillings and coconut shavings take many days to prepare.

However, he mentions that all his hard work is now going to waste because business has been poor, and the ingredients cannot be kept to ensure their freshness.

Considering to Sell Recipe

Mr Zhang and his wife is planning to retire after they finish using the last 25kg of flour.

Because of their old age, the couple says that even if they find a physical stall to rent, it would be inconvenient for them to travel around.

In his closing statement, Mr Zhang says that he is currently looking for someone to take over his recipe and is willing to accept $20,000 for it.

Read Also: 

Featured Image: Wang Jia Hui