SINGAPORE — Diners who thought they had missed their last chance to try New Horse Noodles can breathe a little easier: the popular Hakka yong tau foo stall at Chinatown Complex Food Centre is not closing after all.
But while the business has been given another chance, its story has taken a different turn.
Scott Lee, 29, has decided to continue operating New Horse Noodles independently after reconsidering an earlier announcement that the stall would shut down on Oct. 25. His older brother and original business partner, Troy Lee, 31, will leave the hawker business and pursue a career in software.
The reversal follows an outpouring of encouragement from customers, including regular diners and first-time visitors who urged Scott to reconsider closing the stall.
The development was reported by AsiaOne on Nov. 2 and was also covered by CNA and Mothership.
Customer support changed the direction of the business
The brothers initially announced their plans to close New Horse Noodles after just five months of operations.
Their decision came after they experienced the demanding realities of running a hawker stall, including long working hours and the difficulty of balancing the business with their personal lives.
However, the closure announcement brought an unexpected response.
Scott said the news attracted more customers to the stall, including people who had never tried its food before. Some diners expressed disappointment at the proposed closure, while others offered suggestions and practical assistance to help the business continue.
The encouragement prompted Scott to reconsider whether closing was the only option.
He began thinking about a different business arrangement — one that would allow him to remain involved without personally handling every part of the daily operation.
Hiring an assistant became the turning point
One of Scott’s earlier concerns was that bringing in additional help would take too much time and effort.
After reflecting on the situation, he realised that he could consider hiring someone immediately rather than waiting until the business reached a later stage of growth.
That decision became central to his plan to keep New Horse Noodles running.
Scott has since hired an assistant to help with tasks such as preparing yong tau foo, cooking noodles and cleaning. He intends to concentrate more on preparing sauces, marinating meat, improving the food and interacting with customers.
The additional employee will increase operating expenses, but Scott hopes the arrangement will make the business more manageable and sustainable over time.
He also wants to spend more time developing the stall’s social-media presence and improving the overall customer experience.
The stall has reportedly recovered its S$20,000 investment
In an interview reported by CNA, Scott said New Horse Noodles had become profitable and had recovered the approximately S$20,000 initially invested in the business.
However, he did not disclose the stall’s monthly profits, explaining that earnings fluctuate.
The business also experienced a modest increase in daily sales following the closure announcement, with as many as 20 additional bowls sold on some days.
Scott stressed that the increased customer traffic was not the only reason he decided to continue. He felt the business had not yet reached its full potential and wanted to explore what it could become under a different operating arrangement.
The decision to hire an employee may reduce profits initially, but Scott views it as an investment in improving the business and reducing the pressure on himself.
Troy is leaving hawker life
Although Scott has decided to continue, the original partnership between the brothers will not remain the same.
Troy is stepping away from the stall to pursue a different career path in software.
The brothers had previously left their respective finance-related careers to build New Horse Noodles together. Scott had worked as a fintech product manager, while Troy had worked as a trader.
Their transition into the food business was driven by their shared interest in food and their desire to try something different from their previous professional lives.
But the experience of running a hawker stall proved more demanding than they had anticipated.
Scott has acknowledged that operating the business alone will be an adjustment. Having a family member alongside him had made the difficult parts of the business easier to manage.
Nevertheless, he is treating the change as an opportunity to develop his own management skills and take greater responsibility for the stall.
From 70-hour workweeks to a different way of operating
The brothers previously revealed that they were working approximately 70 hours a week.
Their responsibilities extended beyond serving customers during opening hours. They also had to prepare ingredients, manage supplies, clean equipment and complete other tasks needed to keep the stall running.
Scott had earlier described his earnings from hawking as significantly lower than what he received in his previous fintech career.
The experience raised a difficult question: could the business remain worthwhile if running it required so much personal time and effort?
The new arrangement is intended to address that problem.
By employing an assistant and changing how responsibilities are divided, Scott hopes to build a business that does not depend on him personally performing every task.
He has not, however, promised that the arrangement will work indefinitely.
New Horse Noodles will operate six days a week
Following the changes, New Horse Noodles has moved from operating five days a week to six days.
The stall is located at:
New Horse Noodles
Chinatown Complex Food Centre
335 Smith Street, #02-148
Singapore 050335
Its reported operating hours are 9am to 2pm, Saturday to Thursday, with Friday as its weekly rest day.
CNA also reported that the Handmade Hakka Yong Tau Foo Set remains priced at S$6.50.
The set combines handmade Hakka yong tau foo with Malaysian-style dry noodles and soup.
Customers planning a visit should check the stall’s latest social-media updates before travelling, as operating arrangements may change while the new setup is being established.
The story behind its handmade Hakka yong tau foo
New Horse Noodles opened in June after Scott and Troy left their previous careers to pursue their interest in food.
The brothers travelled to Malacca, Malaysia, where they trained under an 85-year-old Hakka hawker for approximately 10 days.
They subsequently brought the recipe to Singapore and developed a stall offering handmade Hakka yong tau foo alongside Malaysian-style dry noodles.
The business attracted attention partly because of the brothers’ unusual career change and their efforts to learn a traditional food preparation method from an experienced hawker.
Its short-lived closure announcement then brought further attention, with customers expressing disappointment that the stall might disappear after only five months.
Now, the business has another opportunity to establish itself.
A second chance does not guarantee a permanent future
Scott’s decision to continue operating New Horse Noodles is encouraging news for customers, but it is not a guarantee that the stall will remain open indefinitely.
He has said he intends to evaluate the business one month at a time, taking into account its financial performance and whether the working arrangement remains suitable for him.
That means the next stage will depend on more than customer enthusiasm.
The business must also manage its additional staffing costs, maintain consistent food quality, attract repeat customers and establish an operating structure that does not place an unreasonable burden on its owner.
The experience reflects a wider challenge for Singapore’s food-and-beverage industry. A business may attract customers and have a promising product, but maintaining it requires careful management of labour, operating expenses and the demands placed on the people running it.
For more context, read WWC ONE MEDIA’s coverage of why New Horse Noodles originally planned to close after five months.
The broader pressures facing food operators are also explored in our reports on hawkers dealing with rising operating costs and Crystal Jade’s restructuring and outlet closures. Another example is Singapore’s LUNA Patisserie, which announced plans to close amid rising costs.
Can one brother keep the business alive?
For now, New Horse Noodles remains open, and Scott is preparing to take the business into its next chapter without his brother beside him.
The customers who encouraged him to continue may have helped prevent an early closure. But the real test will be whether the new staffing arrangement can make the stall sustainable beyond the initial wave of renewed attention.
The original plan was to close after five months. Instead, New Horse Noodles has been given another chance.
But with Troy moving on and the responsibility now resting on Scott, will this second attempt finally give the Chinatown stall the sustainable future its customers are hoping for?
