Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but some people take this saying to a whole new level.
For George Tang, his love for the meal started with McDonald’s all-day breakfast, but there was just one teeny tiny problem: it’s only served up to 11am.
“Actually… I want to eat breakfast anytime, any day,” he joked. This drove him to start not one but two all-day breakfast spots in Singapore: Breakfast Club and Joji’s Diner, with the latter going viral during the COVID-19 pandemic.
And he takes the term “all-day” very seriously, with both eateries operating 24/7.
Here’s the story of how the 25-year-old monetised his love for all-day breakfast in Singapore.
His first F&B business was a “gamble”
George’s first stint in F&B was Breakfast Club, which served, you guessed it, all-day breakfast and rostis—a Swiss dish consisting of grated potato pressed flat (like a pancake) and fried in oil. He launched the business in 2020 and operated it from a food stall at a kopitiam located at Kovan.
(Upon further research, Breakfast Club has rebranded to Star Western, serving “old school hawker-style Western dishes.”)
However, opening his stall just right before the circuit breaker was a huge gamble. George explained that S$20,000 was invested into the business, and that amount was his mother’s life savings—which meant that the business “had to work.”
“Despite it being a bad period (referring to the COVID-19 pandemic), I saw an opportunity, and I foresaw that it could potentially become a hit,” explained George—and it did. With few places offering rosti back then, Breakfast Club quickly drew in customers with its offerings.
But George was still hungry for more. He wanted to serve food beyond what a typical kopitiam stall offers, aiming for bigger servings and an authentic American diner experience.
With a clear vision, George took a leap of faith, taking a loan and investing his life savings to open Joji’s Diner in 2021, which he claimed totalled S$120,000.
“The first pot of gold“
Given that social distancing restrictions were still in place at that time, one might believe that Joji’s Diner’s chances of success would be slim—but the reality was quite the opposite.
Half a year after opening their doors at Serangoon, the diner achieved overnight virality after they were featured in a local news publication, Mothership, leading to an overwhelming response from the public.
As this was his first restaurant, George had to learn how to manage customers’ expectations and the business operations on a bigger scale. However, in hindsight, these challenges were “just part and parcel” of entrepreneurship.
“Being new to the business, there are always some things that we won’t know until it’s brought up during the process; hence, managing [and addressing] some of the needs, requests, and expectations have to be learnt from experience.”
While Singapore is no stranger to all-day F&B spots, one might wonder if the footfall is guaranteed.
It sounds simple in theory: the longer the operating hours, the higher the potential for customers to come in and patronise your business. However, according to George, reality paints a different picture.
“The footfall during the wee hours fluctuates a lot,” he stated, adding that the business has incurred losses in sales on certain days. Despite this, he continues to stand by the 24-hour concept, reiterating that it provides convenience to his patrons.
“Also, many American diners in the US are actually 24 hours. I just find it fascinating how you can get breakfast no matter how late it is,” added George.
The diner’s popularity allowed it to open its second outlet at Telok Ayer in 2022 to target white-collared workers in the Central Business District (CBD) as well as the weekend crowd. However, the outlet has since closed due to the lack of footfall in the area.
“I think one of the main reasons was because right after the pandemic, a big part of the CBD population was working from home,” explained George, although he did not let this setback deter him from growing his business.
Opening a new sandwich parlour
This time, George has expanded Joji’s Diner by launching a sandwich parlour located right next to the business itself last September, to which Vulcan Post received an exclusive invite to taste some of its signatures. Long story short, our stomachs were left extremely happy and full.
When asked what spurred him to open a sandwich joint, George explained that he enjoyed having American sandwiches and wanted to challenge himself to replicate them in Singapore.
“I decided to open a sandwich joint because I feel that I can really express my creativity. Anything between two pieces of bread is considered a sandwich! The possibilities are endless,” he said with a laugh.
While George remains tight-lipped about his plans for the diner and sandwich parlour, he expressed his commitment to growing the business and, in turn, growing as an individual and entrepreneur.
Not only Joji’s Diner but I myself have grown a lot. Being in the business taught me a lot of things that I’ll always be grateful for.
I’m not sure about milestones but I’m sure that my journey just started.
George Tang, founder of Joji’s Diner
- Learn more about Joji’s Diner and Joji’s Sandwich Parlour here.
- Read more stories we have written on Singaporean businesses here.
Featured Image Credit: Joji’s Diner