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Legendary chef, author and travel guru Anthony Bourdain once described Singapore as exciting and food-centric; indeed, few places rival the culinary prestige of the island country. There are an abundance of haute cuisine options, with the fine dining scene boasting 42 Michelin-starred establishments. But arguably more noteworthy are the world-beating street food offerings.
Part of what makes Singapore so enticing for gourmands is the fact it is the confluence of three culinary cultures. Its traditional cuisine combines Malayan, Chinese and Indian influences.
“Our goal is to bring Singaporean food culture to the world.”
Hawker centers are the beating heart of Singapore’s food culture. These open air food courts originated in the 1800s when immigrants from China, India, Malaysia, Indonesia and other countries plied the streets serving dishes from their homelands, created using local ingredients and techniques.
Eventually regulated by the government, these specialized food courts offer an array of affordable, authentic options ranging from South Indian dosas to Malaysian curry laksa and Hainanese chicken rice – and much, much more.
It was among these humble origins that the story of Fei Siong Group began, under its Founder and Managing Director Tan Kim Siong.
From selling fishball noodles aged 13 at a city center hawker stand, Kim Siong has built a US$150 million food and beverage company with 20 brands and more than 205 outlets providing quick, quality meals at affordable prices.
Kim Siong’s pride in championing his nation’s unique food culture hasn’t waned.
“Our goal is to bring Singaporean food culture to the world,” Kim Siong tells The CEO Magazine. “Fei Siong Group is proud to fly the Singapore flag high.”
Even as the company achieves impressive growth, with more on the horizon, this sentiment has remained front of mind.
“We have stayed true to our values in adapting to change and innovating for growth,” he says. “Fei Siong Group has launched new concepts and explored new business opportunities.
“Boleh Boleh! was a new halal concept in 2022 that stays true to Fei Siong Group’s vision of preserving Singapore’s culinary heritage.”
Now, Kim Siong is preparing to export its brands worldwide.
“We are at an inflection point to scale for growth,” he says. “We are planning to take our halal hawker cuisine brand, Encik Tan, and dim sum brand, Pao Pao, to Indonesia.”
The company’s pride in preserving and sharing the nation’s cultural heritage is reflective of a wider consciousness for community outreach.
“When I last spoke to The CEO Magazine, we touched on Fei Siong Group working with the Singapore government to open hawker centers on a not-for-profit basis,” Kim Siong reflects.
“Since then, Fei Siong Group has been awarded the management of two more hawker centers under Fei Siong Group Social Enterprises, extending its expertise in managing socially conscious enterprise Hawker Centers to four hawker centers.”
Its efforts to upskill its employees have also seen the company recognized as an industry leader.
“The last time we spoke, Fei Siong was embarking on a journey of equipping our employees with digital literacy skills leveraging the SkillsFuture for Digital Workplace program,” Kim Siong says.
“I am proud to say that in that same year Fei Siong Group clinched the 25th spot in the Enterprise 50 Awards as an outcome of that initiative.”
“Friendship and partnerships, whether personal or professional, are built on trust, support and mutual respect.”
Although proud of its connection to the traditional food of Singapore, Kim Siong has not limited its scope to the borders. In 2022, the company acquired the rights to franchise American quick service restaurant (QSR) giant Popeyes.
“Taking on Popeyes was a bold step for Fei Siong Group as it pushed us to innovate beyond our hawker roots and venture into a new business model,” Kim Siong says.
“Inking the deal was a milestone event for Fei Siong Group. It was our first foray into taking on the operations of an international brand with extended stakeholders.
“Since then, we have doubled the growth of Popeyes in Singapore to more than 21 outlets.”
The project has given the company invaluable expertise that it is applying across its operations.
“Having managed a QSR brand like Popeyes, we will be blending best practices in automation, digitization and branding in Fei Siong Group’s owned brands at scale,” Kim Siong adds.
Kim Siong credits its strategic partnerships with companies such as Creative Beverages Ingredients and Sengkang Import & Export as a cornerstone of its continued prosperity.
“Friendship and partnerships, whether personal or professional, are built on trust, support and mutual respect,” he explains.
“At Fei Siong Group, we have been fortunate to have trusted partners and employees that have journeyed with us over the last 30 years.
“These relationships continue to be strengthened in times of turbulence, and together we are greater than the sum of our parts.”
But these successes are just the beginning. Kim Siong is determined to keep the company’s sights set firmly on the future.
“Fei Siong Group has grown to what it is today with our teams and people on the ground,” he says. “We have managed to achieve much in the last 30 years, but we cannot rest on our laurels.
“We need to continue to make difficult decisions, focus on the big picture and keep the momentum.”
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