Rolex-wearing owner of Kim's Famous Fried Hokkien Prawn Mee looking for successor after falling out with son

Want to own a piece of Hokkien mee hawker history?

The man behind Kim's Famous Fried Hokkien Prawn Mee is looking for a worthy successor, but shares that the person won't be his eldest son, reported Shin Min Daily News. 

Many would recall the owner of the stall, Tan Kue Kim, as the man who would fry up plates of noodles behind the hot wok, all while wearing a long-sleeved shirt and pants. Even more noticeable was a shiny Rolex watch that would adorn his wrist.

It is a sight that has become his trademark.

According to Shin Min Daily News on Monday (Sept 4), the 78-year-old hawker had placed an advertisement the day before, stating his intention to sell off the business he'd started over 60 years ago, when he was just 17. 

The stall is currently located at 62B Jalan Eunos.

When interviewed by Shin Min Daily News, Kue Kim shared that he had toyed with the idea of selling his secret recipe and brand name only within the last few years, stating that it would be a pity for all of it to be lost.

"Currently, only my eldest son is in the F&B business. My younger son and daughter hold other jobs and will not be taking over," he shared.

Kue Kim told Shin Min, however, that he is unwilling to hand over the stall to his eldest son due to his fear that the latter won't be able to manage it well, sharing that his son has had several failed businesses in the past 30 years. 

He added that even if someone eventually takes over the business, he intends to continue cooking.

"My health is fine, so I'll continue to work until I can't. Even if I find a successor, I'll still be a shareholder and help out in the kitchen to ensure the taste of the food remains the same." 

According to Kue Kim, he has received several enquiries from people interested in buying over the brand name. There were also those who simply wanted his help to save their business. 

"I'm very willing to help and don't mind teaching them for free," he shared.

Kue Kim told Shin Min that he still wakes up at 5am every morning, heading to the market to buy the necessary ingredients before frying up his first batch of noodles at about 11am. He does this all the way till 12am, with a break of two hours between 3pm to 5pm.

'I will respect his decision'

When contacted by Shin Min Daily, his eldest son Tan Hock Yong, 52, stated that he knew about his father's intention only after the advertisement was published. 

"This is my father's business after all, if he wants to sell the recipe and business, I will respect his decision," he said. 

Hock Yong shared that he'd learned the art of frying Hokkien mee from his father when he was 17 years old. He further described how his father had gone into debt after purchasing a four-storey building in Geylang, converting it into a seafood restaurant. The younger Tan shared that he'd just graduated from polytechnic then.

"I decided to go into business to help my father repay his debt," said Hock Yong, who opened his own eatery Kim's Place located at Kembangan in 1996. He shared that business was very good and his father's debt was repaid within two years. 

[[nid:616112]]

"I don't blame my father; at the time I'd only wanted to settle the debt, that was the most important thing," said Hock Yong.

According to Shin Min Daily News, father and son had joined hands to operate the Hokkien mee stall located in Eunos this year, but the partnership soon fell apart due to disagreements. 

Kue Kim told the Chinese daily that the shop went through a facelift in February this year. Upon reopening after a month-long renovation, Hock Yong was in charge of cooking the zi char dishes while Kue Kim continued to fry his signature Hokkien mee.

"But he didn't help to foot the utility bill and didn't manage the business well, so we didn't continue our partnership," said Kue Kim. 

Hock Yong, however, had a different take on the issue.

He shared that it was his sister's idea for him to help out in the business so that their father could retire. As a result, Hock Yong sold off his seafood and zi char restaurant in Joo Chiat which he'd operated for over 20 years to join his dad at the stall. 

However, despite the good business at the start, they fell behind on utility and rent payments due to the hefty renovation cost, which Hock Yong indicated was "more than $150,000". 

"I had hoped that my father could help out [financially], but we have different management styles and there was some friction, so he chased me out in August," said Hock Yong.

ALSO READ: With no successors, famed hawker stall China Street Fritters to shutter after 81 years

candicecai@asiaone.com