Shane Pow Actually Engages Some of His Fans to Work in His Eatery, But It Didn’t End Well

By
Noreen Shazreen
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Famous folks no longer just want to be in the spotlight now.

Despite having successful careers in showbiz, many Singaporean celebrities have shown that they want to try their hand at running their own businesses.

These celebrity business ventures can sometimes hit the jackpot, like Jeanette Aw’s popular What The Fudge brownies or Taufik Batisah’s spicy venture into the food and beverage (F&B) world with Chix Hot Chicken. 

But here’s the thing: not every celebrity business venture is a fairy tale.

One of them includes Shane Pow, whose business venture became a flop. Kind of.

Shane Pow: From Showbiz to Shareholder at Korean Stall Gogiyo

If you haven’t heard, Pow dived deep into the F&B game by opening a Korean stall, Gogiyo, with five of his childhood friends. The business has operated for nearly three years since its launch in late 2020. 

He is a part-shareholder of the business, running the business as a sideline as most of his time is still dedicated to acting.

While there used to be four Gogiyo outlets going strong, only one remains standing now. 

Engaging Fans to Work at His F&B Eatery Didn’t Work Out

Pow thought hiring some of his fans to work at Gogiyo would be a great idea.

Who wouldn’t want to work alongside their favourite actor? They’d get paid to work and see their idol during their shifts. It’s a win-win situation. 

Well, not exactly. According to a podcast by YES933 DJ Zhong Kunhua, some fans did turn out to be his employees.

But it turns out Pow’s busy schedule meant he couldn’t chat with his fan employees as much as they’d hoped. This led them to call it quits, as they thought they could slot in some free meet-and-greet time during their shifts.

Business Didn’t Quite Happen the Way Shane Pow Envisioned

As for the business, it has yet to generate the cash flow the actor imagined.

Reflecting upon his business decisions, he thinks that selling dishes like chicken rice or bak chor mee might have been a better idea, but he also noted that there are a lot of competitors in these markets selling such staple Singaporean dishes.

Pow said that he had always dreamt of owning a restaurant, and investing seemed like a “fun idea” as he could invite his friends over for gatherings. 

But that was what led to the downfall of his business.

Instead of getting organic customers, Pow realised that he had become his establishment’s top spender after spending money on such occasions.

Note to self: Never invite your friends over if you’re opening a restaurant.

Breach in Mediacorp Contract After Drunk-Driving Charge

Celebrities like Pow are a true testament that everyone deserves a second chance.

In July 2021, Pow was sentenced to five weeks in prison after pleading guilty to a drunk-driving charge. 

He was fined $6,000 and disqualified from driving for five years after he was released from prison, as it was his second offence.

He was even terminated from Mediacorp after a public outcry from netizens about his reckless behaviour that year, including a breach of safe distancing measures during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Despite all that drama, Pow is still on good terms with Mediacorp. 

Now managed by LNX Global, Pow recently played an on-screen dad in a drama called Family Ties, which aired on weekdays at 9pm on Channel 8 and is now available on meWatch. 

Pow said he is grateful to Mediacorp for giving him a second shot.

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Noreen Shazreen
Email: [email protected]