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CNA
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- CNA
Heritage zi char eatery Ka-Soh closing final outlet, third-generation co-owner plans to sell fish soup from home
History-steeped Cantonese-style zi char (cooked to order home-style dishes) brand Ka-Soh is shuttering its final outlet at Greenwood Avenue on Sep 28, 2025, marking its 85-year run with a bittersweet end. The last-standing 60-seater run by third-generation owner Cedric Tang, 40, and his brother Gareth Tang, 42, opened in January 2020, just before the pandemic hit. It's been a tough few years: Sister eatery Swee Kee Eating House closed in 2021, after a 26-year run on Amoy Street, when CBD footfall dried up during the pandemic. Their Bib Gourmand -awarded Outram outlet of Ka-Soh shuttered in 2021. HUMBLE BEGINNINGS FROM A PUSHCART IN 1939 Known for its Cantonese-style fish soup and smoky san lao hor fun, the iconic brand started back in 1939, when founder Tang Kwong Swee sold fish head noodles from a humble pushcart at Great World Amusement Park. As business grew, he opened Swee Kee Eating House along Chin Chew Street (famously dubbed Tofu Street back then), eventually pioneering one of the first Cantonese-style zi char restaurants in Singapore that was open till late at night. When the business relocated to Amoy Street in 1997, it was officially renamed Swee Kee (Ka-Soh) Fish Head Noodle House – a nod to the name its patrons had long been using. Later, Cedric Tang's father adopted "Ka-Soh" as the main brand, since it had become the more memorable identity of the restaurant. ONCE COUNTED STARS LIKE JACKY CHEUNG, ANDY LAU, AARON KWOK AS CUSTOMERS By the '80s and '90s, Swee Kee was drawing large crowds – including local and international celebs like Hong Kong's Four Heavenly Kings: Jacky Cheung, Andy Lau, Aaron Kwok, and Leon Lai, who'd drop by after their concerts in Singapore. The queues reportedly stretched for two hours back then. WHO IS KA-SOH? The original brand name, Swee Kee, was retained for decades, but regulars began informally referring to the restaurant as 'Ka Soh's place' in the '80s and '90s, after a feisty front-of-house waitress nicknamed 'Ka Soh' (Cantonese for daughter-in-law), who famously scolded diners for taking too long to order. Though not part of the family, she was referred to as 'Ka Soh' because the restaurant had hired her mother-in-law, and regulars affectionately began calling her that. Eventually, Ka-Soh had its own spin-off brand, even earning a Michelin Bib Gourmand nod in 2016 for its Outram outlet. Its USP: House-made gravies, no-MSG broths and fish soup simmered for hours using snakehead bones for its signature milky richness. With its final-standing outlet at Greenwood Avenue about to serve its final plate, third-generation owner Cedric Tang spoke to about why Ka-Soh is finally calling it a day. 'BEING A HERITAGE BRAND DOESN'T PAY THE BILLS' 'We're not closing because business is bad,' Cedric clarified. 'We just don't want to keep playing the game.' That 'game' refers to a tough F&B climate where rising costs, tight manpower, and customer expectations often work against old-school operators. 'Coffee shop fish soup is S$5, ours is S$8 or S$9. But when coffee shop prices rose over the years, we didn't follow suit – and we also didn't shrink our portions,' Cedric said. That commitment to quality came at a cost: 'People still think zi char food should be cheap.' He added that any attempt to adjust pricing often leads to backlash. 'If we raise our prices even slightly, people will complain. But if we reduce the portion size or change the recipe, they'll also complain. It's very hard to win.' RENT RAISED FROM S$9,000 TO S$12,000 When Ka-Soh first opened at Greenwood in 2020, monthly rent was S$9,000 (S$7,000). It increased to S$12,000 after three years – and would have jumped to S$15,000 had they chosen to stay on with a new lease. But he and his brother had already decided to bow out. 'Even at S$12,000, it's hard to operate,' he admitted. And despite Ka-Soh's long-standing reputation, Cedric said being well-known isn't enough. 'Being a heritage brand doesn't pay the bills,' he said candidly. PROFITABLE BUT NOT ENOUGH 'We built it up from zero,' he said. 'It took a while to win over a new customer base in the residential area, but even loyal customers weren't enough to outweigh challenges like staff shortages and rising costs,' said Cedric about their five-year-old Greenwood outlet. The brothers worked almost daily, covering gaps when staff were on MC or leave. Cedric even picked up kitchen duties to help. 'Being hands-on saved us on manpower, but it's not sustainable long-term.' Although Greenwood was profitable enough to cover costs and even supported their now-defunct Outram outlet during COVID-19, the margins weren't great. 'A lot of our earnings went into paying off bank loans,' Cedric shared. 'We weren't losing money, but we weren't really earning either.' F&B LANDSCAPE CHANGED FOR THE WORSE & KA-SOH DOESN'T WANT TO STRUGGLE TO KEEP UP The landscape has shifted since Ka-Soh's heyday. Cedric believes that the sheer number of eateries popping up in Singapore is one of the key reasons small restaurants like his are struggling. He points to Amoy Street as a clear example of over-competition: 'When we moved there, there were five restaurants. Now there are 80 to 100.'Manpower is an issue as well. 'If there are 10 restaurants but only a few locals willing to work in F&B, it becomes impossible to hire enough staff to meet your quota,' he said. "YOU MIGHT BREAK EVEN IN TWO YEARS, JUST AS YOUR LANDLORD RAISES YOUR RENT BY 30 PER CENT" The cost of opening a new restaurant today? 'At least S$150,000 to S$200,000, and that's for basic fittings,' said Cedric. 'You might break even in two years, just as your lease ends and the landlord raises your rent by 30 per cent.' They've considered franchising the brand and taking on investors, but there's a catch. 'Our concept isn't easily replicable,' he said. 'We do everything in-house – from soup stocks to gravies to chilli. That's what gives our hor fun its flavour. But investors want fast ROI (return on investment) and scalable concepts.' BROTHERS LEFT STABLE CORPORATE JOBS TO JOIN FAMILY BUSINESS Still, the Tang brothers persevered. The duo, who both joined the family business full-time seven years ago, left stable and high-paying corporate jobs in PR and IT, respectively, to keep the family legacy alive when their late father, second-generation owner Tang Tat Cheong, fell ill. 'The biggest sacrifice was leaving that stability for something filled with uncertainties,' Cedric shared. 'But we don't have any regrets. We've done and given our best.' In fact, their proudest moment came during the COVID-19 period. 'That was Gareth's and my greatest achievement,' Tang said. Leveraging Gareth's IT programming background and Cedric's PR expertise, the brothers built their own e-commerce ordering site and created a delivery system using taxi and private hire drivers. 'When the lockdown was announced, I already had a list of drivers ready to be activated. My first thought was to help them earn an income during a difficult time.' 'KA-SOH WAS INTENDED TO BE PASSED DOWN TO THE NEXT GENERATION' While Cedric and his siblings are single, he said: 'Gareth and I have always managed the business in such a way that it was always intended to continue or be passed down to the next generation." Which is why closing this final chapter has been particularly emotional. When asked if the siblings are heartbroken about the legacy ending, Cedric was thoughtful. 'Of course, it's not easy. But we know we gave it everything we had.' Beyond the business, Cedric has also faced personal battles over the years. He previously shared in a CNA article about how his mental health had been affected. He told 'My major depressive disorder stemmed from my personal life, but at that time I was essentially working three jobs,' he said. 'I was trying to grow a PR agency with a friend, freelancing in PR and helping out with the family restaurant.' Around his mid-30s, Cedric experienced the devastating loss of a loved one he had envisioned a future with. 'I didn't know how to handle the grief, so I just kept working and pushed myself past the breaking point. I broke mentally because of how great the grief was and the toll of juggling three full-time jobs." MENTAL HEALTH A BIG ISSUE IN F&B, ESPECIALLY AMONG CHEFS He spent three years recovering on his own, a path he doesn't recommend. 'Ironically, as mentally draining as the F&B industry can be, where mental health is a big issue, especially among chefs – it was going back into the family business full-time after I learned to cope that probably helped me.' Cedric finally sought professional help and was cleared of clinical depression by a psychiatrist in early 2023. 'Mental health is now a big priority for me. I think it's important to do something you actually enjoy.' Interestingly enough, that still means working in F&B for him. He said he has no plans to return to his former corporate job. 'PR has changed a lot, with AI, influencer engagement, content creation, it's a completely different game now. These days, his role at Ka-Soh ranges from kitchen hand to marketing lead. 'I do everything except finance,' he said with a laugh. 'I'm usually in the kitchen helping to push out orders, but I also help in the front if it's too busy. I even do the dishwashing sometimes – my TikToks show that side of the business too.' He also manages Ka-Soh's social media accounts and has been transparent about the behind-the-scenes grind of running a small F&B outlet. 'It's not glamorous.' PIVOTING TO HOME-BASED BUSINESS Still, not all is lost for the heritage brand. Cedric is currently working on a home-based business that will keep the Ka-Soh name alive in a small way. 'I'll be selling our Cantonese-style fish soup online, so people can cook it at home,' he shared. It will be based in his Punggol flat. And after the restaurant closes, he also plans to explore starting a hawker stall. 'During the pandemic, our no-MSG, no-salt, no-sugar soups were popular, especially among families with kids or elderly folks. So I plan to sell our signature soups frozen, from my own home,' he said. 'It won't be huge – I'm using a residential stove, so production will be limited.' He has spent the past year learning to cook by himself – experimenting with various recipes, including Ka-Soh's signature fish soup. 'I never used to cook. I used to say, 'I don't know how to cook.' But I've been watching my chefs every day for years. I started trying things out at home like black bean bitter gourd, spring onion beef, even cereal chicken.' MIGHT OPEN HAWKER STALL IN FUTURE He's also toying with the idea of starting a hawker stall after the restaurant closes. While nothing is set in stone, Cedric said he's staying in F&B – at least for the short term – to see if there's still a way to keep the brand going. 'The current climate is unpredictable, so everything's still in the early stages of planning and learning,' he explained. Trading a team of chefs in a restaurant for the solo grind of hawker life might seem like a big change, but he's unfazed. 'If I go out and work for someone else, I'll probably be putting in the same number of hours. So I'm willing to try doing it under my own brand,' he said. He's also rediscovered something along the way: His love for cooking. 'When I was young, I'd always made pancakes and cooked [any old how],' he laughed. 'This year, I started experimenting more at home and I've been making dinner regularly.' Recently, he even mustered the courage to step behind the restaurant's wok station. 'I literally begged my chefs to teach me the basics of cooking in a restaurant kitchen,' he said. 'I've posted a couple of TikToks,' he added. 'But yeah, I guess you could say I've rediscovered my love for cooking.' He laughed: 'Now I can say I know how to cook, but I still won't call myself a chef. I'm just a home cook.' ONLY ONE SIBLING WILL REMAIN IN F&B, THE REST RETURN TO CORPORATE JOBS One of Cedric's proudest achievements? Perfecting Ka-Soh's concentrated fish soup. 'I've been testing the recipe every week. It takes hours and a lot of patience. I tried different fish bones, boiling methods, and even learned how to make pork lard properly after burning my first batch.' The result is a fish soup that's creamy, rich and unmistakably Cantonese. 'Our soup is boiled for at least three hours with a lot of bones. Some say it's too fishy, but that's because it's so concentrated. It's not diluted.' While Cedric is pivoting to small-batch soup production, his siblings are also moving on to new chapters. His sister, who was previously involved in the business, now works as a veterinary technician. His brother plans to return to programming and is seeking a more stable role in IT after previously running his own e-commerce infrastructure company. TRY THESE DISHES BEFORE THEY'RE GONE... Ka-Soh's last day of operations is Sep 28. Till then, you can still head down to Greenwood Avenue to tuck into some of the eatery's signature dishes: Prawn Paste Chicken, S$16 Sliced Fish Hor Fun in Black Bean Sauce, S$9 San Lao Hor Fun, S$10 Sliced Fish Noodle Soup, S$9 Spare Pork Ribs, S$20 Ka-Soh's last day of operation is on Sep 28 2025. Located at 22 Greenwood Ave, Singapore 289218. Open Tue to Sun, 11.30 am–2 pm; 5.30–9 pm. Tel: 8754 7481. More info via Instagram.
AsiaOne
2 days ago
- Business
- AsiaOne
Ka-Soh, heritage brand known for its fish soup, to shutter last outlet in Bukit Timah in September, Lifestyle News
Another one of Singapore's longstanding F&B outlets is calling it a day. Ka Soh restaurant, a heritage brand known for its Cantonese-style fish soup, announced the closure of its last outlet at Greenwood Avenue in Bukit Timah via social media on Saturday (July 26). The outlet's final day of operations will be on Sept 28. According to the restaurant, it will not be renewing its lease once it's up. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Ka-Soh Restaurants (@kasohsg) At its peak, Ka-Soh Restaurant had three outlets. In addition to the Greenwood Avenue outlet, they also ran a flagship store at Outram which shuttered in June 2022 and a sister eatery, Swee Kee Eating House in Amoy Street which closed down in May 2021. The flagship outlet in Outram, which was located in Singapore General Hospital, had been a Michelin Bib Gourmand recipient since 2016. Ka-Soh is known for its Cantonese-style fish soup. The signature creamy and milky broth gets its flavour by boiling fish bones at high heat for several hours, according to Michelin Guide Singapore. It was founded in 1939 as a humble push cart stall in Great World Amusement Park, and currently helmed by Cedric Tang, the third-generation owner. When the flagship outlet in Outram announced its closure in June 2022, the owner attributed it to manpower issues and rising costs, as reported by The Straits Times. Prior to the outlet's closure, the business also took a hit as its sister eatery Swee Kee Eating House in Amoy Street shuttered in May 2021 due to the Covid-19 pandemic affecting the business' footfall. [[nid:583146]]
Business Times
19-06-2025
- Business
- Business Times
Diverging fortunes in Singapore's F&B scene as diners turn to cheaper options
[SINGAPORE] Fortunes are diverging in the local dining scene, with restaurant takings on the decline but other food and beverage (F&B) outlets seeing some recovery, based on official data. Maybank co-head of macro research Chua Hak Bin said: 'Consumers are downtrading to cheaper food options, like food courts and fast food chains, from restaurants.' Sales of Chinese restaurant Ka-Soh, for instance, fell about 15 per cent since January. Weekday deliveries have plunged from six a day to just one, said owner Cedric Tang. From January to April, restaurant sales fell 20.1 per cent with a consistent downward trend, based on the government's Food & Beverage Services Index. In contrast, fast food outlet sales were down 7.5 per cent in the period, but have risen since February. Cafes, food courts and other eateries also picked up since February, and were up 1.4 per cent from the start of the year. Restaurant Association of Singapore (RAS) president Benjamin Boh said the data reflects trends on the ground, though some of the effect is seasonal. BT in your inbox Start and end each day with the latest news stories and analyses delivered straight to your inbox. Sign Up Sign Up January sales were strong partly due to Chinese New Year, but February was a short month and March was Ramadan, when outlets serving halal food typically experience a 15 per cent decline in sales, he observed. Yet the current decline goes beyond seasonality. Fast casual chain Jinjja Chicken's sales dipped 5 to 10 per cent during Ramadan last year, but 'took a greater hit' this year, said founder Bernard Tay. Similarly, sales were down 20 to 30 per cent at Enjoy Eating House & Bar, compared with the same period last year. Director James Ang noted that sales have been declining 'for a while', since around the second half of last year. Loh Lik Peng, founder of hospitality brand Unlisted Collection, believes the trend is affecting 'more expensive restaurants' as well as those in the middle. 'If you look at the one-Michelin stars, if you look at the amount of closures in the last year, it tells you that they have been having a very hard time,' he said. 'But if you look at the very top end of the market, and then you look at the restaurants that are more affordable, they could be doing okay.' Smaller appetite to splurge One reason for the decline is that consumers are preferring to spend abroad and tightening their belts at home, said economists and F&B players. Said RAS' Boh: 'Apart from the seasonality factors above, a big factor that is contributing to most categories declining – except the likes of food courts – is also continued tightening of consumer spending.' Some consumers now routinely visit Johor Bahru on weekends to 'get more bang for the buck', he added. 'With that, naturally the likes of restaurants would get hit the most, as weekends are when restaurants would make the most revenue.' Such trips over the Causeway also worry Jinjja Chicken's Tay, who expects the local F&B situation to worsen as transport links between Singapore and Johor Bahru improve. Beyond Malaysia, the strong Singapore dollar has made travel attractive, said CGS International economic adviser Song Seng Wun. 'People are just flying off to Japan, South Korea, or other places overseas to spend.' Even if consumers stay home, per-head spending has fallen. 'At the start of the year, many customers bought multiple bowls of noodles and added desserts,' said Ka-Soh's Tang. 'Now, customers typically buy one bowl of noodles.' Casual cafe chain Grub has also seen customers order less for a meal. Said owner Amanda Phan: 'Previously they might have had a drink or added a dessert; now, they just have water.' Companies, too, are being more cautious about spending and thus cutting back on corporate dining amid economic uncertainty, said Song. For individual restaurants, sales have suffered due to rising competition, as new F&B outlets continue to open. 'Many new outlets opening seems to signal positive prospects for the industry, but big brands are the ones opening these outlets, which kill the business of small and independent restaurants,' said Ka-Soh's Tang. Amid rising competition, Arron Poh, owner of Mexican restaurant Huevos, felt the need to set lower prices for his dishes. Along with the opening of a second outlet last year, these lower prices may have contributed to a 'steady increase' in sales between January and May, he said – while acknowledging that his restaurants buck the trend. Such belt-tightening, however, means that casual outlets have not been hit as hard. While business is 'not as good as last year', sales across Grub's three outlets have not fallen drastically, said Phan. 'I would say that we are probably not a splurge.' Food courts may be doing better because of their 'location and price point', with meals under S$10, said RAS' Boh, adding that their acceptance of Community Development Council vouchers helps too. Similarly, fast food 'is not hit as badly because they can still reach consumers on weekdays' and offer meals for S$5 to S$10, said Boh, who is the managing director of McDonald's Singapore. Spending slowdown expected despite festive bump Maybank's Chua expects consumers to continue preferring cheaper options amid 'a more uncertain economic and job outlook arising from US President Donald Trump's tariff tantrums and the adoption of artificial intelligence'. Similarly, Song expects the industry's struggles to persist over the next 12 months, given worries about geopolitics and downside risks to growth, driven by trade tensions. Said RAS' Boh: 'I foresee that the outlook for sales volume will be choppy and patchy from the second half of the year. Some will do well; some will continue to struggle.' June sales may be soft as families travel during the school holidays, but he expects 'some uptick in July and August' with SG60 celebrations. 'The festive mood plus the disbursement of more goodies will encourage people to spend more in Singapore.' 'Post-August, I believe people will start cutting back again, so that's when the industry will struggle,' he added. Restaurateurs themselves are downbeat. Enjoy Eating House & Bar's Ang said: 'The concerns over cost of living are going to remain. The instability of the financial markets is also going to remain. So it doesn't look like there's anything that will brighten the outlook in the near future.'
