$1Mil Toto Prize-Winning Char Siew Hawker Abruptly Closes Popular Bukit Merah Stall

Ivan Leong (pictured above with his wife) is possibly the luckiest hawker we know. The 35-year-old char siew towkay has struck Toto twice (he won $1 million in 2013, and around $3K last year) – but even good fortune can’t shield him from a common hawker gripe: manpower shortage.

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Sudden closure due to manpower shortage

“Two of my staff told me they were leaving at the end of the month,” Ivan tells us over the phone. “I knew I couldn't train two or three staff in time. That’s my main reason for closing the stall.” 

Both workers were initially hired to assist Ivan at his Ang Mo Kio branch about eight and four months ago, respectively. One had decided to return to Malaysia, while the other did not wish to continue working in F&B.

While he doesn’t begrudge them for leaving, Ivan says their departure made it tough for him to continue running both stalls. “Hiring has been very, very difficult. I don’t easily pass my skills on to someone. I have to see your personality and working attitude first,” says Ivan. His “trusted disciple”, who had been helming the Bukit Merah outlet, will now work alongside Ivan and his wife at their remaining Ang Mo Kio stall.

“Closing Bukit Merah was the only way for me [to not incur any more cost]”

With only enough manpower to operate one stall, Ivan had to choose between keeping his original outlet at Bukit Merah or the newer Ang Mo Kio kopitiam stall. The coffee shop that houses his flagship stall has been temporarily closed for renovation since late January, and is slated to reopen on March 1. He tells us that the new landlord had hinted at an upcoming rental hike. They had not discussed “specific numbers”, but he estimated that the increase “would be around 10 to 20 per cent”.

“If I wanted to continue at Bukit Merah [after the renovation], I’d also have to do a bit of minor renovation for the stall. That means extra cost and I didn’t want to take the risk. Closing Bukit Merah was the only way for me [to not incur any more cost],” he explains.

Customers have been waiting for Bukit Merah stall to reopen

“Everyone was waiting [for our stall to reopen]. I received a lot of messages [during the renovation period]. At that point, I was still confident that we’d be back and I told them not to worry. I do feel bad, but bo bian lah,” he shares.

Many have expressed their disappointment on his social media posts. “This is truly sad news for those who are staying at Bukit Merah area,” says one Instagram user. Another lamented: “Wa sian… no more great char siew near my place.”

An unceremonious end to Char Siu Lang’s first chapter

Letting go of his flagship stall has obviously been difficult on the towkay – he tells us the outlet was “earning money”, though he declined to share details. “If not for the manpower shortage, we would definitely continue. The moment I decided to close [the stall], my mood was down for a week,” he says. 

As the kopitiam is still undergoing renovation, Ivan was unable to say goodbye to his Bukit Merah customers in person. “I’ve been at Bukit Merah for two years plus. It’s my baby. I built rapport with so many regular customers there. It’s hard to express how I feel. I will miss the place,” he shares. “I want to thank all my customers for their support and I hope they won’t give up on us! It takes a little bit of effort for them to come to Ang Mo Kio but I hope they will show up.”

While physical expansion is unlikely in the near future, Ivan says he’ll “definitely look at opening more stalls if the right opportunity and location come along”.

Islandwide delivery available via Foodpanda

In the meantime, those who can’t make the trip to Ang Mo Kio can satisfy their Char Siu Lang roast meat cravings via food delivery app Foodpanda, where prices start from $5.90 for an individual portion of char siew or roast pork on rice (compared to $4.50 for dine-in at the AMK stall).

The details

Char Siu Lang is at #01-1697, Blk 340, Ang Mo Kio Ave 1, S560340. Tel: 9677-5212. Open daily except Wed 11am – 6pm. More info via Facebook & Instagram.

Photos: Alvin Teo, Char Siu Lang

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