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Viral 543 Laksa Hawker Closes Stall After Business Abruptly Fell By 50%

“I ended up cooking and not selling — it’s very frustrating when people are not coming [to my stall],” says Thian Le Yong, who closed his stall to hedge against losses.

In April this year, hawker Thian Le Yong went viral. His stall 543 Laksa, a curiously gritty joint in Bukit Panjang, is where he cooks a very limited batch of about 75 bowls of laksa a day, which usually sells out in under three hours.

After being featured by media outlets like 8days.sg, long queues started forming at Le Yong’s stall, which is located in a quiet coffeeshop within Senja-Cashew Community Club. “I teared a bit — I was happy and touched,” the 29-year-old tells us of his overnight business boom, which also saw Minister of Foreign Affairs Vivian Balakrishnan dropping by for laksa.

Photo: Facebook/ 543 Laksa

But when the June holidays rolled around and borders started opening for travellers, Le Yong saw his number of customers plunge steeply by as much as 50 per cent. It also didn’t help that more people had stopped working from home after Covid-19 restrictions eased, which affected the footfall for heartland eateries like Le Yong’s (who only operated his stall in the morning). "And some people were only intrigued [by my laksa] at the start," he shares.

Closed his stall to hedge against financial losses 

Despite being in business for just four months, Le Yong forfeited his deposit to shut down his stall early. He had started reducing his food quantity when his customers dwindled, but still struggled with wastage. “I ended up cooking and not selling — it's very frustrating when people are not coming [to my stall],” he shares. 

Le Yong reckoned that it was better for him to stop operating while his business wasn’t bleeding money. “I didn’t want to drag this thing further in case there are losses,” he shares. “It was worth it to close, ’cos profits-wise I was in a risky state. The coffeeshop has a very small capacity. Even if people can order takeaways, I still have to rely on dine-in customers.”

Bidding for new stall at upcoming Senja Hawker Centre

In the meantime, Le Yong is keeping busy by working on his personal projects and “part-timing at a bistro-bar”. But he has also worked out a continuity plan for his stall. “I’m waiting for Senja Hawker Centre to open to bid for a new stall there,” says Le Yong. A Bukit Panjang resident, he also shares that he had “written to my MP” to appeal for help in securing a space. He posted on Facebook: “543 Laksa will be back… Stay tuned.”

For more updates, go to www.facebook.com/543bukitpanjanglaksa.

Photos: Alvin Teo

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543 laksa laksa young hawkers bukit panjang

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