How Fei Siong Group Built a $150 Million Empire 🍜

 

Fei Siong Group just opened its new food court. The latest addition to their empire is Boleh Boleh, the biggest pork-free food court in Singapore, located on the fourth floor of The Clementi Mall.

 

With their latest venture, people are curious about how Fei Siong Group grew so much. So much that there is only a slim chance that you won’t come across their brands in Singapore. As of now, they have 160 outlets under their helm, generating a revenue of $150M (in 2019).

 

And you know what? You can also try to build your brand as big as they are. Keep reading, and you’ll find out their ‘secret recipe’.

 

The Beginning 🎬

 

Before we go wild over the recipes of their success, let’s find out how it all started.

 

According to The Straits Times, the journey started when 13-year old Tan Kim Siong became a helper at a hawker stall. It was a fishball noodle stall owned by his grandfather. He also helped as an assistant for neighbouring booths to earn extra money. Eventually, even with his limited experience, he managed to get a gig as a cook for a noodle stall.

 

One day, Kim Siong started his own fishball noodle stall in Boon Lay with his uncle’s help. However, due to his National Service commitment, he had to sell it after two years. Shortly after he finished his National Service, he opened another stall in Telok Blangah.

 

Over the years, he gathered many experiences and entrepreneurship know-how and became a seasoned hawker. It started from one noodle stall, and now his group holds more than ten brands, ranging from your favourite food court to its own food kiosk.

 

The ‘Recipe’ for success 👌

 

Image source: Fei Siong Group

 

So, what actually is the secret behind the success of Fei Siong Group?

 

There are three key takeaways from their success story:

 

1️⃣ When your plan does not work, improvise!

 

Kim Siong noticed that some Singaporeans love to drive all the way to Malaysia just for the food. For them, going through the Johor-Singapore Causeway is worth the hassle to enjoy some of the best hawkers in Malaysia. He then had a brilliant idea to bring famous hawkers and their cuisine to Singapore. With the intention that Singaporeans won’t have to go through the Causeway.

 

His initial plan was to move those Malaysian hawkers to operate their stalls at Fei Siong Group’s location in Singapore. Unfortunately, he did not receive positive responses with this initial offer.

 

So, when faced with a roadblock, what did Kim Siong do? He improvised.

 

Instead, he offered a price for the recipe from one of the Malaysian hawkers. Impressed by his modesty, the same hawker arranged dinner with several other hawkers and invited Kim Siong. At the end of the day, the deal was sealed, they shook hands. That is why Singaporeans can now enjoy famous hawker dishes from Malaysia in Singapore.

 

2️⃣ Do what you know best

 

Before hitting that $150m revenue in 2019, Fei Siong Group was already sizable. That means Kim Siong’s entrepreneurial knowledge was tried and tested, but that does not mean they weren’t prone to mistakes.

 

Kim Siong and his Fei Siong Group did make mistakes along the way. For instance, the Chinese food restaurant Royal London Duck is no longer operating. They also embarked on a whole new horizon with the Spanish eatery La Cala, which closed its doors for good.

 

Mistakes are bound to happen, no matter how sturdy your plan is. The ventures taught Kim Siong an important lesson—only focus on what you know best. He knows best about hawker dishes and how to operate hawker centres, food courts, or coffee shops. That is why his group does not operate too far from those areas.

 

Moreover, when mistakes happen, we need to minimise and learn from them. And that is what Kim Siong did when he realised Royal London Duck and La Cala were not a perfect match for his empire.

 

In other words, you may know how to make yummy doughnuts, but that does not mean you also know how to sell your doughnuts as the next greatest thing and make people drool over them.

 

Hence, brands hire integrated marketing agencies to do marketing for them.

 

3️⃣ Teamwork makes the dream work

 

One of the main factors that helped Fei Siong Group is teamwork. Kim Siong knows that he cannot do everything by himself.

 

He needed people he could trust, so he asked brother Kim Beng to join him, and their business has boomed since. If 1995 was their breakthrough year, what happened over the next five years was a game-changer for Fei Siong Group. They managed to open ten stalls by 2000.

 

Fei Siong Group had to maintain the quality of their food, and that is when Kim Siong welcomed his second brother, Kim Leng, to join the business. Kim Siong and Co then also brought Mun Kit, a friend of Kim Leng’s, to participate as a business partner.

 

When Kim Leng came on board, the first thing they did was to set up a management and training system. For instance, they came up with a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) to maintain the quality of their growing food business. Since then, they have defined roles and responsibilities to grow their business.

 

As of now, Kim Siong is the ‘brain’ of Fei Siong Group. His official position is the Chairman of the group. Location and landlord relations are his expertise.

 

Kim Beng acts as the Director of the group. His main role is to help coffee shops under the group to thrive. He, alongside Kim Leng, ran the stalls when they initially expanded the business.

 

Then, Kim Leng is the Executive Director of the group. His role oversees the group’s project development and management. For example, when the eldest brother Kim Siong secured a place for their next project, Kim Leng planned the layout and liaised with relevant parties.

 

Just like Kim Beng, Mun Kit also acts as the Director of the group. He manages the operations for the group. In particular, when they build a new shop for their project, the brothers will let Mun Kit take over the operation of the newest location, including recruitment of the staffing for the area.

 

Therefore, a clearly defined role and trust in each other ensures that the team works together well.

 

In a nutshell, how Fei Siong Group become a food empire:

• Improvise when your plan does not go as expected
• Focus on what you do best
• Teamwork makes the dream work

 

From a fishball noodle stall to a $150M empire. It seems it’s true when they say if your dreams don’t scare you, they are not big enough!

 

There’s a way for your brand to reach the same height as them: concentrate on what your brand does.

 

And let our team helps you with the marketing; Aiden Creative has a wealth of integrated marketing experiences to help you achieve your objective. Let’s talk by tapping that floating WhatsApp button.