“We have been around for 42 years since 1978. This is the most difficult crisis we have ever met. For the last five months, our sales have dropped tremendously by over 85 per cent.  If we don’t turn around in the next two months, we will need to shut down. We sincerely seek your support to save our brand, the jobs of our employees and our heritage.”

“I am Nigel Chua, the second-gen owner of local homegrown brand, Founder Bak Kut Teh. As the title of this letter suggests, we are in a dire situation. Business is bad; really bad. We have been keeping our business afloat by relying on takeaway and deliveries since the outbreak of Covid-19, but our efforts are still insufficient.

We heaved sighs of relief when Phase 2 was announced and dine-in finally permitted. My dad was elated, grinning from ear to ear, and gleefully headed down to the restaurant in the wee hours to prepare the aromatic bak kut teh broth himself. We were hopeful that the situation would turn for the better. But we were wrong. Even now, we continue to walk into our empty restaurants with no diners in sight. In our 42 years of business, these few months are the most tiring, trying and difficult.”

“We are reluctant to give up but we are struggling. The decision to write this letter is a heavy one. I am appealing to everyone for your support so that Founder Bak Kut Teh can continue to serve you and future generations for many more 42 years to come.

My dad, Mr Chua, started Founder Bak Kut Teh back in 1978. He was a pig farmer in Seletar and loved bak kut teh so much that he visited and tried many stalls while finding most of them lacking in quality ingredients. He decided to prepare the dish using the very own pigs he reared. Long story short, here we are today with the well-loved Founder Bak Kut Teh you are familiar with.

We’re known as a favourite among celebrities. Our walls are plastered with plenty of their pictures, from pop stars Jay Chou, Jam Hsiao, Eason Chan to film stars Chow Yun Fatt and Charmaine Sheh. A significant part of our customers we serve as a result are tourists who are not able to visit the city currently. This has impacted us tremendously, with a sales drop of 85 per cent in the past five months.”

“We sincerely seek your support to not let our 42 years of hard work go in vain. Founder Bak Kut Teh, for the first time since our inception, will offer over 30 per cent off curated family set menus from 17 July to 17 August at our Founder Bak Kut Teh Hotel Boss, Bugis and Downtown East outlets.

This special discount is to thank you for your support during Circuit Breaker (we couldn’t have lasted this long without you) and to encourage you and your family to dine with us. Your next meal choice will make a difference to us. Save Founder Bak Kut Teh, the jobs of our numerous employees, and our heritage – one meal at a time.

We promise to serve you with our very best. In order to keep you safe while practicing social distancing measures, please make reservations before visiting us. If you have read this far, thank you. I really appreciate it. Hope to see you enlivening our restaurants soon.”

#savefounderbkt

Sincerely,
Nigel, second-gen owner of Founder Bak Kut Teh

F&B businesses in Singapore have been hard-hit by the Covid-19 pandemic and restrictions imposed. Restaurants such as one-Michelin-starred Vianney Massot, Antoinette, and Imperial Treasure Nanbei have also recently announced their closures.

Visit the business here:

Founder Bak Kut Teh @ Hotel Boss
#01-09, 500 Jalan Sultan, Singapore 199020
Tel: 6816 2582
9am to 10pm daily

Founder Bak Kut Teh @ Bugis
530 North Bridge Road, #01-01, Singapore 188747
Tel: 6255 3889
9am to 10pm daily

Founder Bak Kut Teh @ Downtown East
Market Square @ Downtown East
E! Avenue, #01-310, 1 Pasir Ris Close, Singapore 519599
Tel: 6344 2588
10am to 10pm daily

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Text: Candice Cai/AsiaOne, Founder Bak Kut Teh