Tastemakers: Claypot chain founder dishes on brand-building, burnout and bouncing back

Straits Times

5 days ago

Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox
Mr Mark Jeremy Low, founder and executive director of Lau Wang Claypot Delights, at the Bugis+ outlet.
SINGAPORE – A serial entrepreneur since he was 21, Mr Mark Jeremy Low once juggled running three wonton noodle stalls, one claypot food stall and two KTV pubs, all while working as a property agent.
But his monthly income was unstable, fluctuating between $2,000 and $8,000. Most months, he could barely stay afloat.
'I was the boss of so many businesses, but I wasn't making money,' says Mr Low.
'Come Chinese New Year, after giving out bonuses, I'd be broke. There were always unforeseen expenses, such as fridges breaking down and equipment issues. Whatever I drew as a salary went right back into my businesses. The only stable thing was expenses.'
In 2014, burnt out and disillusioned, he closed four food stalls, agreed with his KTV partners to sell their one remaining outlet and exited the property scene to focus on a single business – a fledgling claypot eatery in Serangoon.
'I was turning 29 then and felt it was time to stop spreading myself thin and focus on one concept which I could direct all my energy to and make it a success,' he says.
That business is now a $16 million brand with six mall-based outlets of Lau Wang Claypot Delights, a central kitchen and an elevated spin-off called Lau Wang Claypot Legacy. Lau is his surname in dialect, while Wang is the surname of his first investor.
The chain has a stable of 120 employees, including his 72-year-old father, a former forex trad er who helps with its business accounting and finances.
Mr Mark Jeremy Low, founder and executive director of Lau Wang Claypot Delights, at the Bugis+ outlet.
ST PHOTO: CHONG JUN LIANG
The youngest of three children, Mr Low, now 40 and the founder and executive director of Lau Wang Claypot Delights, started the brand with a Yishun coffee-shop stall in 2012. He found he had limited say in running his wonton noodle stalls, as business decisions had to be approved by the franchise owner.
'I wanted to start my own brand so that I can have full control over how I want to run my business,' he says.
He decided on claypot cuisine as he was fond of claypot dishes – such as sesame oil chicken and herbal frog leg soup – from a neighbouring stall at the Bishan coffee shop where one of his wonton noodle outlets was located.
The couple running the claypot stall had shut their business in 2010, but he managed to contact them in 2011. He convinced the wife, Ms He Yun Ping, 49, to sell him all 12 of her recipes, help launch his first stall in Yishun and train new staff.
Mr Low convinced a former claypot food stallholder to sell him her recipes and help him start his stall.
ST PHOTO: CHONG JUN LIANG
But it was difficult for new hires to master the claypot cooking techniques quickly, especially without detailed standard operating procedures. Ms He agreed to stay on as his main chef and eventually assumed the role of operations manager, a position she still holds today.
The first outlet broke even within five months. In July 2013, Mr Low invested $120,000 – a combination of his savings a nd m oney from a silent investor – to open a second outlet, a standalon e eatery in Serangoon Central that could seat 50 diners.
It was a rocky start. The eatery lost $15,000 in its first month, then $10,000, followed by $5,000. Business did not stabilise until a year later.
'Standalone eateries have higher costs. People don't just walk in. You have to earn your customers,' he says.
The biomedical science diploma holder, who graduated from Temasek Polytechnic in 2005, is no stranger to running challenging businesses, having lost money on a car workshop and KTV pubs in the past, although he was also successful in other ventures.
When he and his KTV pub business partners sold off their remaining pub in 2014, he left the nightlife scene. He overhauled his lifestyle by prioritising rest, sleeping eight hours a night, spending more time at his claypot eatery and working on branding.
Together with Ms He, he expanded the menu. In late 2014, they introduced a sambal seafood series, customising sambal paste with torch ginger flower and housemade black sauce for still-popular dishes such as Sambal Seafood ($12.50++), and Sambal Sotong With Ladyfinger ($12++).
Today, the signature dish is still Sesame Oil Chicken ($6.80++ for small, $9++ for large), made with handcut boneless chicken thigh marinated overnight.
Sesame Oil Chicken remains the star dish at Lau Wang Claypot Delights.
ST PHOTO: CHONG JUN LIANG
Another popular option is Sliced Fish Herbal Soup ($8++ for small, $10.80++ for large), featuring toman slices in a herbal broth enhanced with seven herbs, including astragalus root and Solomon's seal.
Sliced Fish Herbal Soup at Lau Wang Claypot Delights.
ST PHOTO: CHONG JUN LIANG
In 2016, a long-time friend came on board as an investor and silent partner, injecting $250,000 to fund the brand's first mall outlet at Oasis Terrace s. It opened in June 2017, and marked a turning point.
'We realised coffee shops were too limiting. Malls gave us visibility and consistency,' says Mr Low.
Outlets at Tampines One and SingPost Centre followed. The latter opened in 2020 during the Covid-19 pandemic and took 3½ years to break even. It lost $50,000 over the first 10 months, but is now the chain's second best-performing outlet.
In 2022, the brand underwent a full refresh with a snazzy updated logo. The new outlet at Bugis+ featured a modern look styled after a Sydney cafe, targetin g d iners in their 20s and 30s.
The Bugis+ branch was the first outlet to be designed with modern vibes.
ST PHOTO: CHONG JUN LIANG
Mr Low says: 'We sell traditional food, but we market it like an American brand.'
Mr Low directed the brand refresh of the claypot chain, which included an updated logo.
ST PHOTO: CHONG JUN LIANG
The outlet had a slow start. Business was sluggish for two months and d oubt crept in. He redesigned the menu from a 10-page A4 booklet to a single A3-sized sheet, and replaced the crockery with custom white bowls with blue rims at a cost of $3,000.
To strengthen branding, he launche d m erchandise such as keychains, caps and T-shirts. These are now used as giveaways in branding campaigns.
The Bugis+ outlet now enjoys regular traffic and is the chain's top-performing outlet.
'I have come to realise that our brand depends on word of mouth and takes time to grow on people. We're not fast food, but once diners try us, they return,' he says.
The brand's loyalty programme, launched in late 2023, now has more than 76,000 members. Staff are incentivised through monthly bonuses and long-service awards.
In December 2023, Mr Low opened Lau Wang Claypot Legacy at One Holland Village – a n ele vated concept with QR-code ordering, Thai-inspired fusion dishes and ceramic tableware. Prices are 30 to 40 per cent higher than at Delights outlets.
'Our prices at Delights are affordable, but margins are slimmer. Lau Wang Claypot Legacy helps us grow sustainably,' he says.
In June 2024, he closed the Serangoon outlet to focus on malls. That month, the brand opened at Pasir Ris Mall, followed by Plantation Plaza in Tengah in August. Bukit Panjang Plaza and Jem are due later in 2025, with a Hougang Mall outlet planned for 2026.
The 1,300 sq ft Jem outlet will be the brand's most expensive yet at $750,000. It will be designed by a Bangkok-based interior designer whose work Mr Low admires.
He is now focused on brand building. A 2,000 sq ft central kitchen in Pandan Loop was acquired in 2022 for $3.7 million.
Since hiring a general manager in November 2024, Mr Low spends about 10 hours a week on the business, compared with 50 hours in the early days. He is also diversifying by developing ready-to-eat products, beginning with sesame oil chicken.
For nearly a decade, few customers knew he was the founder. Only in June 2024 did he appear in a TikTok video marking the closure of the Serangoon outlet.
'People assumed I was a second-generation owner. I didn't set the record straight. I was 27 when I started Lau Wang and I felt my age then didn't match the brand's heritage image,' he says.
The bachelor, who says he sacrificed his personal time for work, is now open to settling down.
'Before the business stabilised in 2018, I had no confidence to settle down or think about family life. I was too stressed a nd wrapped up in work and growing my brand.'
He hopes to grow to 15 outlets and is open to overseas expansion in Thailand or Malaysia, provided he finds strong local partners.
'I feel particularly proud that all our seven outlets have brisk business, given the F&B scene now. Our brand has proven to be a strong concept, with plenty of potential to continue doing well as a group,' he says.
'There have been more downs than ups in the initial stages, but this is not a hype brand. It's comfort food with staying power.'
Tastemakers is a personality profile series on food and beverage vendors who are creating a stir.
More on this topic Tastemakers: Meet the Halal Mixologist who is shaking up nightlife with booze-free beverages and bars