Why is Leong Yeow Chicken Rice closing after 46 successful years? The iconic stalls at Waterloo Street and Queen Street will serve their final customers on Monday, May 27.
This is your last opportunity to savor the renowned Hainanese chicken rice from Leong Yeow Chicken Rice. After nearly five decades in business, 85-year-old Mdm Sun and her three sons are closing their Waterloo and Queen Street stalls. The final day of operations will be Monday, May 27.
News of Leong Yeow Chicken Rice’s closure was initially shared on Facebook by netizen Matthew Soh, who posted a notice from the stall owners displayed outside their shop. The notice expressed heartfelt thanks: “We extend our deepest gratitude for your unwavering support and loyalty over the years. Your patronage has meant the world to us.”
Leong Yeow Chicken Rice began with their first stall on Queen Street in 1978, followed by the opening of their Waterloo outlet in 1979. Both locations, situated just a five-minute walk apart, have remained unchanged until now.
What Happened
Netizen Matthew Soh speculated in his post that “rental kills a five-decade business,” but this might not be the whole story. According to 8days, when they reached out to Mr. Loy, 62, co-owner of Leong Yeow Chicken Rice, he explained: “We’re all getting older, and we want to rest for a while.” He declined to comment further on rental issues but hinted at some disagreements with the Waterloo coffee shop owner, which he shared off the record.
STALL RENT LOWERED FROM S$7,000 TO S$5,000 BUT HAWKERS STILL SET ON CLOSING SHOP
Meanwhile, the manager of BGain 261 Eating House at Waterloo Street, who preferred to remain anonymous, told 8days that they had offered to reduce the monthly stall rental for Leong Yeow Chicken Rice, but the hawkers declined. “We were willing to lower the rent from S$7,000 to S$5,000 for them, but they still didn’t want to extend their tenure,” he said.
He mentioned that the rent includes fees for dish collection and pest control, and noted that Mr. Loy and his family had been paying S$7,000 in rent for the past three years. When 8days reached out to Mr. Loy to verify this, he did not deny the information but chose not to elaborate on the rental issue, stating, “I don’t want to speak so much about this (rental) issue.”
The coffeeshop manager also mentioned that the area experiences low foot traffic. “The Waterloo (coffeeshop) is in quite bad condition due to market changes. Lazada (located nearby) just retrenched over 200 employees,” he said.
If this speculation holds true, it’s possible that the situation at the chicken rice stall’s sister outlet nearby might be similar. However, the manager admitted he has no knowledge of the business conditions at Leong Yeow’s other location. 8days attempted to contact Albert Centre for more information but were unable to reach them.
MIGHT REOPEN IN THE FUTURE
Longtime patrons have expressed their sadness over Leong Yeow’s impending closure on Matthew Soh’s Facebook post. Comments include sentiments like, “I am really shocked! Have been eating here for the last three decades.”
Soh reminisced about Mdm Sun’s generosity during his childhood: “When we were very young, we always bought three packets of chicken rice ($1.60 each) and one packet of plain rice (50 cents). Auntie never forgot to give us more meat and only charged us $5 in total.”
However, this may not be a permanent farewell. Mr. Loy told 8days, “A lot of hawkers also rest for a year and reopen their stalls in the future. We’re resting now, but we can always reopen later.”
Leong Yeow Chicken Rice will have its final day of operations on May 27. You can visit their two outlets at BGain 261 Eating House, 261 Waterloo St, Singapore 180261, and #01-49 Albert Centre, 70 Queen St, Singapore 180270. The Waterloo outlet is open from 11:30am to 8pm, while the Queen St outlet operates from 1:30pm to 8pm. For inquiries, call 6334 3989.
