nv hear before

Once a “thriving” business, pork leg rice hawker chain Shi Nian is now facing a harsh reality check.  In a video posted on the brand’s socials, second-generation owner Tommy Pang, 28, admitted that the business lost half a million dollars in just six months. Opened in 2019 at Albert Centre Market & Food Centre as Lin Ji Pig Leg Rice (named after his mother’s surname), subsequent outlets were rebranded Shi Nian, which translates from Mandarin to ‘stone years’.  Tommy, whose family also runs Bai Nian Niang Dou Fu, Nic & Tom Eatery and Hae! Prawn Claypot, said the brand grew from one stall to more than 30 outlets islandwide in 2021, only to shut nearly 20 “overnight” after expanding without “a system, structure or strategy”. They now have 10 outlets. In an earlier interview with 8days.sg, Tommy explained how the chain scaled so quickly: by partnering with young hawkers to open branches and giving them a small stake in the business. This is so they had “skin in the game” and would take care of standards like owners, not staff. He added that only about 20 per cent of outlets were franchised, the majority were self-operated, which also helped tackle manpower constraints while maintaining quality.   Masterplan to rebuild Shi Nian In a bold move to win back trust, Tommy said he will share his “masterplan” to make Shi Nian great again, “correct our wrongs” and regain the love of customers.   When 8days.sg reached out to Tommy, he declined to reveal more, saying he will explain why he pushed for rapid expansion as well as address criticism over Shi Nian’s pricing and small portions in upcoming videos. He also declined to explain why he filmed the slick video edited with quick cuts and graphics, outlining these issues. “Personally, I know where I'm wrong, but there are a lot of things that the public do not know,” he told 8days.sg. “There were a lot of curious questions: why did I even want to open 30 outlets? Was it for money or other reasons? Why do we charge $5.90 for pork leg rice?”   Full transparency including pork leg recipe In response to Tommy’s video on social media, netizens left many comments on Shi Nian’s small portions and high pricing. “Can the portion be a bit bigger? As an adult male, I am not really full. Maybe buy for a kid still ok. Give more rice also ok,” one TikTok user remarked, while another said: “Adjust the price then you will attract more patrons. Tried only once, nice but too expensive.” A third wrote: “If it is not filling, then I’ll just buy once and no more. You are basically selling a pork rice bowl at a price that is considered premium for hawker centres.”  According to Tommy, the pork leg rice was priced at $4.90 when they first opened in 2019. It increased to $5.90 when they expanded to more outlets (still the same price today), and some outlets now offer the rice bowl with an onsen egg at $6.90.    Due to the dish’s labour-intensive prep and higher food costs, he says “margins are super thin”. “The cost is a lot higher than most food because of the tedious process of preparing the pork leg. There is a lot of manual brushing, burning… I intend to show you our recipe and how we cook pig leg rice, it’s really not easy… There is a reason why we sell at $6.90… I am only slightly above my break-even point,” he said. Though Tommy had no interest in F&B, he joined the family business in 2015 after graduating with a diploma in banking and finance at Nanyang Polytechnic to help his father, who has been in F&B for 40 years. Their yong tau foo brand Bai Nian had only three stalls then and business was picking up. “He was just a hawker. We are a very average family. People think I come from a rich family, but my background was quite rough,” he said.  Tommy, who now also has his own porridge business Peng Jia Zhou, started with easy tasks like cashiering and dishwashing before helping with simple food prep at a central kitchen. He later moved into business development to “bring value” to the company. On choosing F&B, he said in a separate interview: “What makes us happy is not the money, but putting a smile on people’s faces and when they say, ‘Boss, your food is nice, keep it up, don’t give up.’ And that’s how we push on and persevere. Money is just the result of your doing.”   10 outlets including Amoy Street Food Centre, #01-49, 7 Maxwell Rd, S069111. More info on Facebook, Instagram and website.

https://www.facebook.com/reel/1361752748705551

Found the female version of @noobmaster   https://www.instagram.com/p/DN6G7eEjitH/   In this case, Andy Murray sponsoring eye checkups for both       

She can kick my hard rock