Young Hawkers Close Carrot Cake Stall After 5 Months Due To Job-Related Back Injury

The_King · December 31, 2021

When we last spoke to hawker Kasper Neo, 27, and his business partner, James Tan, 28, they had just started running their punnily-named fusion carrot cake joint Rad Dish at a West Coast Drive kopitiam. Kasper, a former male pageant contestant who did a stint in a Western Culinary Arts course in ITE, fried chye tow kway while business administration graduate James helps with kitchen prep and cashiering.

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Rad Dish closure screenshot

Recently, Rad Dish announced on social media that the stall would be closing permanently, after a mere five-month run. The last day to get a taste of their carrot cake is on Dec 31, or while stocks last (latest updates on the stall’s socials).

Like most of the F&B industry, the hawkers were hit by unpredictable dine-in restrictions, which affected their business. But the main reason for their closure, Kasper says, is due to a serious back injury that he sustained while at work.
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“The upper half of my body couldn’t move”

In early December this year, Kasper and James had planned to offer dessert alongside their carrot cake – fusion chendol with bingsu-style flavoured ice shavings. They bought an ice-shaving machine to experiment in the stall, but their chendol idea was eventually scrapped. According to Kasper, there were operational difficulties in controlling the amount of shaved ice, making the entire process “too troublesome”.

They decided to sell off the machine, only for Kasper to injure his back as he was carrying the appliance out of his stall. “It was too heavy, and the area [within our stall] was too narrow. I couldn’t squat to put down the machine, so I bent down instead, and it felt like my backbone shifted,” Kasper tells us. He thought it was “nothing much”, but “a few days later after showering, the upper half of my body couldn’t move [for a while]”.

After his health scare, he had gone for an X-ray scan and chiropractic treatment, though he has yet to get an official diagnosis. “It might have to do with the muscles and nerves. It’s okay most of the time – I just can’t carry heavy things. But when something triggers [the back injury], it’s very painful,” he says. Kasper has also stopped cooking altogether to focus on his recuperation.
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Hit by manpower crunch and dine-in restrictions

With Kasper out of action, Rad Dish’s manpower issues worsened. “A lot of locals don’t want to work as a hawker because it’s tiring and very hot,” the young hawker tells us. “We hired a part-timer, but they don’t want to cook. They just want to do cashiering and prepare ingredients.”

As James has very little cooking experience (Kasper was the main cook), it was also tough for him to man the stove by himself. “If James was to be the only one cooking, it will be damn shag for him lah. He might be the next one to KO,” Kasper laughs.
Their business had also been dwindling due to the uneven easing of dine-in restrictions, which exacerbated the young hawkerpreneurs’ woes. “Our coffee shop [management] did not apply for five-pax dine-in. It’s even more empty now compared to the past few months,” he says. “Even when I was out with James and our friend, the three of us couldn’t eat at a kopitiam together, so we went to a mall instead. I think a lot of people are doing the same.”
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Forfeited their deposit, but no regrets

As they were unable to fulfill their contract to operate their stall for a whole year, the hawkers had to forfeit their deposit of a month’s rent (“less than $4K”, Kasper tells us). But Kasper says he has no regrets. “It’s definitely a pity closing after five months lah, but the process is very important. We gained a lot of experience, and I believe that if we were to try any F&B business again, it will be even better than now.”

He was also grateful for the patronage from customers. “I really want to thank our customers who have supported us. We had some who say that after trying our carrot cake, they won’t go back to their old stall [that they used to patronise],” he says. “All these heartwarming reviews saddened us [when we had to close] lah, but no choice.”
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What’s next for them

Kasper and James plan to look for new jobs – James is sourcing for a full-time position in his old field as an inventory control specialist, while Kasper will be resting up before starting another business with his friend, this time selling skincare products.

The duo reckons it’s unlikely that Rad Dish will make a return, though Kasper hasn’t ruled out F&B altogether. “If we have enough capital again, we’re thinking of opening a cafe with aircon, bubble tea, coffee and bakes so that it’ll be easier to hire manpower,” he chuckles. “But I shouldn’t say anything first until I have a plan!”

Rad Dish’s last day of operation is on Dec 31. The stall is at #01-208 505 West Coast Dr, S120505. Tel: 9622-3705. Open daily, 7.30am–4pm. More info via Facebook and Instagram. Delivery via Grabfood.