SUVA (Fiji) — His name is Larry, but everyone calls him Joji’s, after the Chinese takeaway chain he owns in Fiji.

Born in Singapore, Mr Larry Tan first landed in the South Pacific island nation in 1998, when the Singaporean owner of Fijian garment factory Southtex asked him to take care of the logistics side of the business.

Not long after, he met his “dame”, a Fiji-born Chinese, and the rest, as they say, is history.

“I happened to meet my dame here,” laughed Mr Tan boisterously, when asked why he moved to Fiji. “We got married in Singapore but because my wife was not used to life in Singapore, she wanted me to go back to Fiji. She said life here is much more relaxing.”

Today, Mr Tan, who got married in 2001, has three children — all born in different countries. Their eldest, a 15-year-old girl, was born in New Zealand, while the middle child, nine, was born in Singapore and the youngest boy, four, was born in Fiji.

Mr Tan, 42, is also the owner of the very popular Joji’s Chinese takeaway chain located in Suva, the capital of Fiji.

“I’m a food fella. I love food. My wife suggested that since I love food, it would be a good idea to go into a cafe or takeaway business,” said Mr Tan.

At that time, his wife, Lisa, was working for a Chinese takeout called George Takeaway, which was owned by a couple looking to retire. Seizing the opportunity, Mr Tan bought the business for FJ$50,000 (S$32,578) in 2003. It took about two years for him to recoup his investment.

Popular for its chilli chicken stir-fry (there is even a video on YouTube showcasing this dish), the original shop is a very nondescript hole-in-a-wall joint at the back of Suva Civic Centre, an arts and entertainment building. There is no identifying signboard in front, however, you know you are there because there is always a long queue throughout the day.

The main headquarters, where there are two cooks, dishes out about 500 serves a day. Each serve is about FJ$7 to FJ$8.

“We made changes to the system and management … registered and trademarked the name and took it forward. By the time 2007 came around, we decided to open another outlet in a shopping mall, which took us another step forward and made our name much stronger. We had our third outlet in 2009, the fourth in 2011 and last year we opened another one,” he said.

In addition to the five eateries, Mr Tan also owns a meat processing factory. “Whatever money I made all these years, I reinvest to keep improving. This is a very Singaporean thing,” he said.

Mr Tan, whose father used to be a chef in Malaysia and Singapore, and whose mother used to be a street hawker, is a big advocate and example of self-improvement. A primary-school leaver, he was more comfortable speaking in Mandarin and dialect than in English. But his years in Fiji have forced him to upgrade his English, as well as learn how to speak Fijian.

He admits that he found it challenging to adjust to life in Fiji when he first arrived.

“We were carrying a very advanced mobile phone and they were just carrying Nokia,” he laughed.

But now, almost two decades after he first landed in Fiji, he is reluctant to return to his birth country.

“I will go back to visit my parents and my sister,” said Mr Tan, who returns to Singapore twice a year. “But for retirement — Fiji. It’s not that I’m not calling Singapore my home. It’s just that the life here is much more relaxing … There’s too much competition in Singapore. No doubt the Singapore education is good, but over here there’s another kind of teaching that I find gives the children a childhood. Singapore students now have too much work, they have not much time for leisure. The kids here are much more fortunate, just like in the olden days.” 

CLARIFICATION: In an earlier version, it was reported that Mr Tan had bought the business for FJ$150,000. He has since clarified that the business was bought for FJ$50,000.