I met Keat, owner of Coffee & Chirashi, outside his newest café in Choa Chu Kang.
Q: Tell me about your café.
A: We’ve been here one year.
Q: I saw another location near Beauty World MRT.
A: In total we have six hawker stalls and two cafés. The café at Beauty World is called Chirashi-Ai. Similar concept as here in Choa Chu Kang. Over there is quite established—it’s been open about two and a half years.
Q: Are your chefs trained in Japan?
A: Most of my chefs are internally trained. They have at least one or two years of Japanese food experience.
Q: Are you part-Japanese? (Hāfu ハーフ)
A: No. I am Singaporean.
Q: What attracted you to the Japanese motif?
A: When I was younger I didn’t have enough money to eat Japanese food. Even McDonald’s was “luxury” food for me. So when I grew up, I wanted people, including kids, to have Japanese food without breaking their pockets. Some kids really love Japanese food. They’ll ask, “Mum, can I have Japanese food for dinner?” If the parents [in Singapore] oblige, they’ll have to spend at least 100 [Singaporean] dollars. In my outlets, most items are ten, ten-plus [Singaporean] dollars.
Q: You mentioned hawker stalls. What was the order? You opened the hawker stalls first, then the Beauty World café, then this location [in CCK]?
A: Yes. The Beauty World location opened in 2020.
Q: What was it like when you first opened?
A: We found out people really wanted to eat Japanese food, but in Singapore, Japanese food is very expensive, so most people cannot afford to eat it every day. We tried to create a solution [to this problem].
Q: What was it like specifically during the pandemic?
A: It was quite crazy. We did very well. We broke even within one month and opened a second store in October [2020].
Q: Did any COVID-related restrictions affect your business?
A: We were able to have dine-in before the lock-down [so we managed to get our name out there].
Q: So the pandemic actually helped you?
A: Yes. [Editor’s Note: I assume he is referencing delivery or GrabFood orders from new customers who began working from home.]
Q: Were there any supply issues?
A: Yes. We had a shortage of supplies, so we had to find more suppliers. Prices would fluctuate often for suppliers, and those costs were passed down, so we had several negotiations.
Q: Other than labor, what is your largest cost?
A: Rental. Even for stalls, most of the rentals are five to eight thousand [Singaporean] dollars per month. Some of the better stalls are ten thousand a month. Here, when the food court [aka kopitiam] opens, the rentals should be ten to twelve thousand a month.
[Editor’s Note: Singapore’s National Environment Agency (NEA) provides some grants to stall operators.]
Q: How long is your lease?
A: Three years. At the end of the term, we can re-negotiate or walk away.
Q: What’s the most fun part about your job?
A: Every day is a new day. A lot of things happen, and it’s a people-to-people thing… when I see my customers happy, I feel I’ve accomplished my goal of bringing affordable, quality Japanese food to Singapore.
Q: What are some of the difficulties you face in your job?
A: The most difficult part is managing everybody’s expectations. The food has to be high quality at a discount price—we cannot compromise on quality. Some customers complain about portion sizes, but if they were to cook the same items, it would take a lot of time, and they would still have to do the dishes.
Also, for months, some men have been smoking, drinking, and littering outside our store.
Q: Just this store, or others?
A: Only here in Choa Chu Kang. Nowhere else. They sit outside [on the pavement] and smoke, and the smoke goes inside the café. A customer messaged me and said, “My seven year-old loved your ice cream, but I don’t want to bring them here because of the smoke.” I approached the men outside, but they were quite hostile. I contacted building management and was told to avoid interacting with them. In the end, I was told they cannot do much. I wrote to HDB, NEA, and the police. They no longer come here during operating hours, but they come afterwards. After operating hours, our issue is littering and causing rodents to come to our door. [Rats are attracted to trash.] In Singapore, everywhere is supposed to be clean. I showed the authorities my videos, my photos of the littering, and they say they cannot do anything [outside of operating hours], which is not fair.
Q: The Singaporean police have a good reputation. [Kavin Jay aka Kavin Jayaram has a hilarious bit about Singapore’s police in Everybody Calm Down! (2018)] Did they give you a reason for non-assistance?
A: They told me they would work on it, but I don’t see much activity from the police force.
Q: How do you know they’re not undercover?
A: I don’t know. But every night, they are still there, smoking and littering. Illegal gathering, public drinking, and smoking within a few feet of the building, all of which are not allowed.