Dona Manis Cake Shop’s Co-Founder Leaves Biz, Sets Up Rival Banana Pie Shop Next Door

[The_King]

Dona Manis Cake Shop is popular among foodies and easties for its old-school, affordable banana pies and chocolate tarts. It has been successfully operating from the basement of the retro Katong Shopping Centre since 1992. But recently, there’s been a controversial new development. Another similar bakery called Auntie Peng Banana Pie, has opened right next door. And it sells almost identical bakes at the same prices.  

Like Dona Manis, Auntie Peng Banana Pie is a no-frills takeaway bake shop - most of the space is dedicated to the kitchen, with a small display counter in front. There are also photos pasted on the glass doors advertising its signature bakes, alongside a blown-up shot of Mdm Soh and her husband.

 

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Auntie Peng, co-founder of Dona Manis, opened rival shop on 9 April

As it turns out, Auntie Peng Banana Pie is run by Mdm Soh Tho Lang (who goes by “Auntie Peng”), 74, and her family who all used to work at Dona Manis next door (Mdm Soh as the baker, her hubby and kids as kitchen assistants). In fact, up until she left, Mdm Soh’s son, Tan Ee Hsing, 48, tells 8days.sg that she was the shop’s sole baker and co-founder. She had set up Dona Manis together with the late Mr Tan Tieow Teong back in 1992, but officially left the business at the start of April this year, before opening Auntie Peng Banana Pie on 9 April. Mr Tan passed away last October. 

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Netizen’s comments on a Facebook post

No, Dona Manis’ new owner did not ‘kick’ Auntie Peng out

While details are unclear, there’s speculation online surrounding Mdm Soh’s departure from Dona Manis. On a Facebook post on a foodie group about Auntie Peng Banana Pie, a netizen writes that Mdm Soh left Dona Manis because “the founder passed on and left the business to his daughter, but she kicked Auntie Peng out”. When 8days.sg asked Ee Hsing about this, he declined to comment, but insists “there’s no bad blood” between the two businesses. 8days.sg didn’t manage to speak to Mdm Soh, who Ee Hsing says isn’t very phone-savvy. 

 

Dona Manis’ owner, Esther Tan, 69 (daughter of the late Mr Tan), similarly clarifies that there’s no drama with Mdm Soh, and firmly denies kicking her out. “She was not an employee, she was a partner with my dad. I saw people online saying that I kicked her out - I thought 'no way, you can’t kick out a partner so easily!' What she told me [before she left Dona Manis] was that she wanted to retire, so I said okay,” she shares with 8days.sg.

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Auntie Peng and Dona Manis are right next door to each other

Why did Auntie Peng leave Dona Manis?

When Mdm Soh opened the new bakery next door, Esther admits that she was surprised. “I didn’t know until they already rented the shop. In my mind, I thought she wanted to retire, but she now says that her son wants to take over [her biz eventually]”. 

 

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Mdm Soh aka 'Auntie Peng' and her husband

 

Ee Hsing notes that his mum is now in fact semi-retired. Their new shop is basically a family business that he and his sister will take over eventually. Mdm Soh has trained them both to bake the banana pies. 

So why did Mdm Soh really leave Dona Manis? Ee Hsing shares some details with 8days.sg off the record - let’s just say it’s probably not a personal issue between his mother and Esther, but a classic case of differences in business goals. 

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Is Mdm Soh the only person with the OG banana pie recipe?

While he declines to comment on the true reason for the split, Ee Hsing does share that Mdm Soh is the creator of Dona Manis’ famous recipes, adding that “what Dona Manis is selling now is not [using] the same recipe, ’cos the original recipe belongs to my mum.” Currently, Ee Hsing and his sister bakes all the pies at her new shop under Mdm Soh’s supervision. 

 

Esther, on the other hand, claims to also be in possession of the aforementioned OG banana pie recipe. “She [Mdm Soh] did come up with the recipe, it’s true,” she admits. However, she adds: “My dad did share the recipe with me, and I just improved on it”. Whoa.

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Auntie Peng’s son says their pies taste different from Dona Manis’

Ee Hsing clarifies that while “it’s possible that Mr Tan gave her the recipe, the fact is that the banana pies taste different”. He explains: “Everybody can have a recipe - just go to YouTube, and it’ll teach you how to make a [copycat] Dona Manis banana pie. The only thing is - can you make it taste the same as ours, which captured so many people’s hearts and taste buds?” 

 

But he laughs it off and says: “It’s an open market, anybody can sell anything. Whose banana pies will capture more people’s taste buds? It used to be my mum’s [at Dona Manis], now there’s one more version to try - isn’t that a good thing also?” 

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Late co-founder Mr Tan at Dona Manis Cake Shop

On setting up shop next to Dona Manis

Both Aunty Peng Banana Pie and Dona Manis sell pretty much the same items, with both shops’ banana pies going for $33 for a whole pie (10 slices); $3.30 a slice, and their chocolate tarts similarly costing $6 for five pieces. 

 

Isn’t it awkward for both rival businesses to be located right next to each other? Ee Hsing notes that this wasn’t exactly an intentional decision. “We did not originally plan to [open our biz next to Dona Manis], but it just so happened our unit used to belong to ice cream shop Humble Scoop, which closed down. So we decided to take over the unit,” he explains. He adds: “We didn’t take it up immediately but three months later, it’s as if the shop [space] was waiting for us”. 

Meanwhile, Esther admits that while she was initially “surprised when [Auntie Peng Banana Pie] appeared next to us”, she goes on to say: “It’s okay, people can go to whichever shop they want to buy from, there’s enough room for the banana pies to go around”. 

Auntie Peng Banana Pie is at #B1-92 Katong Shopping Centre, 865 Mountbatten Rd, S437844. Open Mon - Sat 9am - 6pm; Sun 9am - 3pm. Tel: 8088 9639. More info via Facebook. 

Edited April 17 by The_King

[aaur4man]

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