With hawker culture on the decline, Douglas Ng tells us the story of why he decided to walk on a less-trodden path, along with the hardships of starting late in a dying trade.
Written by Shawn Chen
Meet Douglas Ng, a 31-year-old who is the founder of Fishball Story, a hawker stall turned food company that specialises in fishball noodles.
How He Got Into The Industry
Having worked in the kitchen since he was 15, he had plenty of experience, which led to him managing restaurants with several business partners in the past.
Though those endeavours were doing well, he decided to sell them as he wanted to start something by himself.
Since young, his grandmother always made fish balls by hand for his family during special occasions. Having such a strong attachment to the fish balls, he had already learned to make them from his grandmother, so he thought it would be good to start from there.
The Challenges Faced
Douglas wanted to learn the trade of hawkers, but didn’t have anyone to turn to for help. “I would wait at the hawker centre at midnight for their suppliers to deliver their goods, and get their contacts from there.”
Another challenge he faced was the perception of the public. Most of the public gravitated towards seasoned cooks who usually look to be around middle-aged and above, rather than a seemingly young and inexperienced man.
He soon realised an edge he had over his competitors was his knowledge of digital marketing. He used the knowledge that he had as a young hawker, as a unique selling point to bring traffic to his stall.
What The Future Holds
He has moved many times since then, from his first outlet at Golden Mile Food Centre to his current outlet at Bugis Junction. He has since stepped back from the stove and transitioned into a managerial role.
It is easy to see why many millennials would rather opt out of this laborious industry. Despite so, Douglas chose to trod down the road less travelled, and does not plan to stop now.