Ang Yong Seh (洪荣生), co-owner of Xin Ming Road Bak Kut Teh (新民路肉骨茶), passed away on 10 January 2025 after working up to 18 hours a day for three years to repay over S$100,000 in business debts. He was 65 years old.
His hawker stall, located along Sin Ming Drive in Upper Thomson, was heavily impacted during the Covid-19 pandemic, experiencing a severe drop in business and income.
To keep the business afloat and clear mounting debts, Ang reduced rest days to only four annually, working from 5am to 11pm daily, reported Shin Min Daily News.
Wife continues business after brief mourning
Following Ang’s passing, his wife and business partner, Lilian Chua (蔡菊花), 66, took only two weeks off before reopening the stall.
Chua explained that she did so to honour her husband’s commitment and dedication to their shared livelihood. “I knew he would be worried about our business,” she said.
The couple had been running the bak kut teh business together for over 30 years, starting in the 1990s.
Built from scratch after decades in hawker trade
Before launching their own stall, Chua had worked for more than two decades as an assistant at Rong Cheng Bak Kut Teh, a stall owned by her brother-in-law.
Later, she roped in Ang to help at the same stall. The two eventually decided to establish their own business.
They ran stalls at several locations including West Coast, Clementi, Choa Chu Kang, Tampines, and Jalan Besar.
However, each time their customer base grew, they were forced to relocate due to rent hikes or lease issues.
Roughly 18 months ago, they settled at Kola Food Centre in Sin Ming Industrial Estate.
Covid-19 triggers financial ruin
Before the pandemic, monthly operating costs were already high—S$9,000 in rent and S$4,000 for staff salaries.
But during the pandemic, they sometimes earned as little as S$100 a day, according to Chua.
The resulting three-year string of losses wiped out their savings and plunged them into debt.
To pay the bills, Ang took on a relentless schedule with no days off except during Chinese New Year.
“Every day, he left at 5am and came home at 11pm,” Chua recalled.
Final days marked by illness and worry
Ang had been battling a cold for three weeks before his death. Despite his condition, he continued working at the stall until four days before he died.
On 9 January 2025, he told Chua he was having difficulty breathing.
He was rushed to Tan Tock Seng Hospital and died the next morning around 5am.
Doctors confirmed that Ang had no history of chronic illness and attributed his death to overwork and physical exhaustion.
Emotional final conversation and promises
Chua stayed by Ang’s bedside throughout his hospitalisation.
She recalled asking him, “How am I supposed to run this stall alone? I’m just one woman. Can I let it go?”
In response, Ang held her hand tightly—his way of telling her not to give up the stall they had built together.
Although he could no longer speak, the gesture gave Chua the clarity to continue the business.
Ang had planned to run the stall for another five years before retiring.
He also hoped to take Chua to his ancestral hometown in Teochew, China.
Although he was not expressive, Chua said he showed his love through actions.
After she injured her shoulders years ago, Ang took over the physically demanding kitchen tasks without complaint.
A lifetime of bak kut teh
Chua admitted she is concerned about the future of the stall. “When we moved to Kola Food Centre, business dropped by 40 per cent. It still hasn’t recovered,” she said.
High operational costs continue to pose a challenge, especially with only one person running the stall.
Despite the hardship, Chua remains committed.
In a 2023 interview with Bestfoody, the couple expressed gratitude to their coffeeshop landlord who reduced their burden during the pandemic.
At the time, Ang said, “You have to work hard and persevere, because this is my small business with my wife.”
Chua has been making bak kut teh since she was 19. With over 40 years of experience, she says she knows no other trade.
“I can only retire when I really can’t do it anymore,” she said, adding that she intends to carry on for as long as possible.
The post Bak kut teh hawker died in January from overwork after 18-hour days to repay over S$100k in debts appeared first on The Online Citizen.
