A pair of Singaporean siblings have captured attention online after leaving their high-paying corporate jobs to take over their family’s traditional curry rice stall, a decision that has now turned into a huge success.
Quit stable careers to continue their parents’ recipe
The siblings, aged 38 and 36 respectively, started their own home-based curry rice business called Curry Kong in May last year, and earned $100,000 (approximately RM310,585) capital in just 1 year.
Due to limited kitchen space, the menu offers only seven dishes, with curry chicken rice and chicken cutlet curry rice among their signature items. Customers can either pre-order online for self-pickup or place delivery orders through apps.
Before starting the business, both siblings held stable full-time jobs with monthly salaries exceeding $10,000 (RM31,585).
Inspired by their parents’ hawker legacy
According to them, the idea of starting their own food business came about after quitting their respective jobs back in 2023 and 2024. Despite having zero experience in the food industry, the siblings chose to venture into F&B because of their family background.
Their parents used to run an economic rice stall for many years before closing the business in 2014, the siblings shared that they often helped out at the stall when they were younger and still remember the long queues their parents attracted daily.
Following the success their parents build, they inherited their parents’ original recipes and made several adjustments over time based on customer feedback and preferences.
To keep the business running during its early stages, the siblings revealed that they went nearly a year without paying themselves a salary. Both of them even worked as e-hailing drivers during peak hours before returning home to prepare food and manage the business.
Image credits: Free Malaysia Today
Expanding into a physical storefront
Since launching the home-based business in May last year, the siblings revealed that their customer return rate has already reached between 50% and 60%, which is an indication that their business is heading to the right direction.
As the business continued to grow, both of them realized that their current facility (the family kitchen) cannot suffice to cope with the growing needs. With the limitation in space as well as the equipment needed, the thought of having their first physical outlet emerged.
They eventually began planning their first physical outlet, reinvesting nearly S$100,000 (RM310,585) from their profits and personal savings into the new venture.
With nearly 70% of their customers coming from eastern Singapore, the team chose Tampines Industrial Park as the location for their first outlet, which is slated to officially open this July.
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