{"id":1136,"date":"2021-06-29T18:08:43","date_gmt":"2021-06-29T10:08:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sgebiz.com\/resource\/blog\/?p=1136"},"modified":"2021-07-26T19:22:52","modified_gmt":"2021-07-26T11:22:52","slug":"your-guide-to-starting-a-hawker-stall-business","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sgebiz.com\/resource\/blog\/your-guide-to-starting-a-hawker-stall-business\/","title":{"rendered":"Your Guide to Starting a Hawker Stall Business"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Singapore is a well-known street food hub and hawker stalls are part of the country\u2019s gastronomical identity. This Uniquely Singapore gem is now officially recognized at the global scale, by the way! Singapore hawker culture is listed as UNESCO intangible cultural heritage on 16 December 2020.<\/p>\n

Time and again, Singaporeans\u2019 love for food has proved that hawker stalls have a bright prospect and will always be in demand. If you are looking for a career pivot – following the onslaught of the COVID-19 pandemic – or simply looking to seize lucrative opportunities abound in the F&B industry, opening a hawker stall could be worth exploring. Interested yet? This guide is for you!<\/p>\n

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1. Eligibility<\/strong><\/p>\n

To apply to become a hawker stall business owner, there are only two main conditions:
\na) You must be a Singapore citizen or a Permanent Resident, and
\nb) You must be at least 21 years of age<\/p>\n

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2. Identify your niche
\n<\/strong>Laksa, char kway teow, rojak – Singapore is teeming with delicacies! Before starting your hawker stall business, it is crucial to decide on your speciality dish. That way, it will be easier for you to focus on your product development and improvement i.e. making your food good, better and even better! Examples of successful hawker stalls that have found their niches are Hideki at the Yishun Park Hawker Centre and the Lukhon Thai stall at the Pasir Ris Hawker Centre.<\/p>\n

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3. Perform a SWOT analysis
\n<\/strong>Before starting a business, you must first do the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT) analysis. Be totally honest with yourself and perhaps it will also help to get your mentor or other respected business owner friends\/investors on board as you brainstorm.<\/p>\n

The SWOT analysis will be insightful to prepare you for the possible future outcomes, minimise risks and maximise the upsides to enhance success.<\/p>\n

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4. <\/strong>Round up your initial start-up costs<\/strong>
\nFactor in your monthly rental fee and employee wages – which will make up the largest portion of your business costs. Then, you would need to also include costs of raw materials and supplies. A survey by NEA<\/a> found that the raw material costs contribute to the bulk of total costs.<\/p>\n

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Therefore, it is important to source out for the right suppliers and do your calculations carefully beforehand.<\/p>\n

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5. Identify a suitable location<\/strong><\/p>\n

It is all about location, location, location for a consumer business. For a F&B business, it is even more so about location, location, location! Take the time to research several potential locations to set up your hawker stall business and later narrow it down to the one that has the highest possible foot traffic and most easily accessible, yet well within your budget. Within the consideration factor of the foot traffic is the demographics of your visitors \u2013 would your speciality dish be of good appeal to their \u201cfoodie consumption\u201d pattern?<\/p>\n

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6. <\/strong>Leverage grant support programmes
\n<\/strong>As a way to encourage Singaporeans to become F&B entrepreneurs, the Singapore Government has initiated several grant support programmes for those aspiring to become hawker stall business owners. Among them are :<\/p>\n

a)<\/u> Hawkers\u2019 Development Programme <\/a>
\n<\/u>There are three stages in the Hawkers\u2019 Development Programme:<\/p>\n