Having been on the 'breakfast circuit' with a few retired teachers and a retired civil servant for a number of years, I have seen enough of food stall operators and their trials and tribulations.
Generally, at the launch of a new coffee shop and its food stalls, it is crowded for the first few days. After that, whether business can be sustained would depend on the popularity of the stalls.
Some coffee shops are known for their coffee, like Sin Yoon Loong and Nam Heong in old town Ipoh. Most coffee shops depend on the popularity of their food stalls, like the famous Hakka Mee on Jalan Sultan Iskandar (old Jalan Hugh Low). Customers coming for the noodles have to order drinks from the coffee shop operator. Some famous curry noodle shops, like Nam Cheow and Sun Seng Fatt; 'nga choi kai' shops like Lou Wong and Onn Kee, run their drinks business themselves.
So far, those well known shops are still popular and finding seats could be a problem. They have been lucky because their fame has attracted tourists from other states, Singapore or even abroad, as recommended by their local relatives or friends acting as food guides.
The situation in smaller towns like Batu Gajah and Pusing is not as promising. I have noticed restaurants which enjoyed good custom initially, had to close down because of poor business soon after. Similarly, some food stalls tried and failed at different coffee shops. There is a curry noodle stall which enjoyed initial success for a few months. But just this morning, the three siblings took turn looking at us, hoping for an order or two.
Out of our group (ranging from 2 to 8), we can only order one dish each on each of our visit. We could sense their need for our support. Sometimes, there is a tendency to order almost exclusively from one stall.
Recently, one from our group spent over 2 months in UK, and I had a break because of one or more of the following reasons: a couple used to spend alternate 2 weeks in KL; another couple used to spend a week or two in Singapore every two months or so; another couple could only come back from KL when their granddaughter is having school holidays!
The problem with food stalls not enjoying good business like before: they expect us to order from them and seem to take it personal when we order from another stall. So instead of feeling free to order what we really like on a certain day, sometimes, if the food stall operator comes near and chat with us, we feel obliged to order a dish or two from him or her! So for those who presume food business is lucrative, think again. Either the business cannot be sustained for long; while business is being carried out, whether good or bad business involves long hours starting from 4 or 5 am; or, good business means unable to take leave without feeling the losses in income foregone.
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Generally, at the launch of a new coffee shop and its food stalls, it is crowded for the first few days. After that, whether business can be sustained would depend on the popularity of the stalls.
Some coffee shops are known for their coffee, like Sin Yoon Loong and Nam Heong in old town Ipoh. Most coffee shops depend on the popularity of their food stalls, like the famous Hakka Mee on Jalan Sultan Iskandar (old Jalan Hugh Low). Customers coming for the noodles have to order drinks from the coffee shop operator. Some famous curry noodle shops, like Nam Cheow and Sun Seng Fatt; 'nga choi kai' shops like Lou Wong and Onn Kee, run their drinks business themselves.
So far, those well known shops are still popular and finding seats could be a problem. They have been lucky because their fame has attracted tourists from other states, Singapore or even abroad, as recommended by their local relatives or friends acting as food guides.
The situation in smaller towns like Batu Gajah and Pusing is not as promising. I have noticed restaurants which enjoyed good custom initially, had to close down because of poor business soon after. Similarly, some food stalls tried and failed at different coffee shops. There is a curry noodle stall which enjoyed initial success for a few months. But just this morning, the three siblings took turn looking at us, hoping for an order or two.
Out of our group (ranging from 2 to 8), we can only order one dish each on each of our visit. We could sense their need for our support. Sometimes, there is a tendency to order almost exclusively from one stall.
Recently, one from our group spent over 2 months in UK, and I had a break because of one or more of the following reasons: a couple used to spend alternate 2 weeks in KL; another couple used to spend a week or two in Singapore every two months or so; another couple could only come back from KL when their granddaughter is having school holidays!
The problem with food stalls not enjoying good business like before: they expect us to order from them and seem to take it personal when we order from another stall. So instead of feeling free to order what we really like on a certain day, sometimes, if the food stall operator comes near and chat with us, we feel obliged to order a dish or two from him or her! So for those who presume food business is lucrative, think again. Either the business cannot be sustained for long; while business is being carried out, whether good or bad business involves long hours starting from 4 or 5 am; or, good business means unable to take leave without feeling the losses in income foregone.
