Fish & Chips

[The_Latest_H]

I think the land lord is the Garment. The place is practically either URA or HDB car park. Must be one of these two. They simply can't stand anyone making money without benefiting them.

The problem is that if they keep on jacking up the rental rates after a few months for thriving businesses, and these businesses shut down after a while, how can they make money?

Most thriving centres of enterprise, including food outlets, in other countries are doing so well, because the landlords, government or not, knows that its better to keep the popular outlets there, so that there would be huge healthy human traffic.

And the more traffic there is, there would be more people eating, and for more people eating, means that there would be more commerce, and all of this spending by consumers help everyone in the long run.

URA doesn't know how to look long term at all.

 

[scroobal]

Have eaten at Harry Ramsden numerous time, both takeout & dine in. Funny thing I noticed was that their restaurant next door, the one with waitresses, was much more expensive for the same menu. They closed the restaurant first before they went out of business

Towards the end I notice that they stopped selling the Halibut. The halibut which was my favourite.

You just cited the reason for the closure. They guy opened the restaurant and takeway next to each other but the price differential was enormous. Come out with the same kitchen in the centre and in the same shape and quantity but on plate and not paper.

After a while, the restaurant closed down.

This chap was a funny businessman. He had no concept of pricing, service and he offended the banks by calling all over and asking ridiculous discounts. He also could not cover his fixed costs and royalty base price. Eventually the bank foreclosed his Bayshore Apt which was mortgaged for the business.

Nothing to do with rent. The place did not have any tenants for a long time. I wonder if anyone took over the outlet.

 

[johnny333]

This chap was a funny businessman. He had no concept of pricing, service and he offended the banks by calling all over and asking ridiculous discounts.....

I think I saw the owner helping out at counter on weekends, also saw some angmo working there. Their system had problems when there were too many customers, there were mixed ups with the orders & sometimes arguments between the cooks/order takers & customers

Its tough to have a successful business in Spore. That franchise obviously didn't have a strong strategy/system like Macdonalds. A pity because their fish & chips was better than the stuff served at MacD

 

[Ah Guan]

A pity because their fish & chips was better than the stuff served at MacD

It's even more a pity when MacD becomes a benchmark for any food

 

[denzuko1]

The problem is that if they keep on jacking up the rental rates after a few months for thriving businesses, and these businesses shut down after a while, how can they make money?

Most thriving centres of enterprise, including food outlets, in other countries are doing so well, because the landlords, government or not, knows that its better to keep the popular outlets there, so that there would be huge healthy human traffic.

And the more traffic there is, there would be more people eating, and for more people eating, means that there would be more commerce, and all of this spending by consumers help everyone in the long run.

URA doesn't know how to look long term at all.

I have just passed by the place where the Fish & Chip shop used to be. It is transformed to some semi-garment agency thing (like sports association that kind of stuff?) Next to it is Long Beach Sea Food Restaurant. When I looked inside, its really like slapping flies.

The URA can't stand it when people are making more money but did nothing when their tenants are in trouble and there is no traffic for customers. It is no wonder people from these organization cannot even make it in the private sector, too shoort sighted in their vision.

 

[denzuko1]

I think I saw the owner helping out at counter on weekends, also saw some angmo working there. Their system had problems when there were too many customers, there were mixed ups with the orders & sometimes arguments between the cooks/order takers & customers

Its tough to have a successful business in Spore. That franchise obviously didn't have a strong strategy/system like Macdonalds. A pity because their fish & chips was better than the stuff served at MacD

Well, the thing is that they have been there for years before the intervention. If you think theirs is bad, try Old Town Coffee at East Coast.

 

[johnny333]

It's even more a pity when MacD becomes a benchmark for any food

You know lah, Sporeans sometimes have to settle for 2nd, 3rd,... best. Just have to look at MacD, PAP, SBS,.... :(

In our enviroment, its not the quality but the efficiency of the process & system thats going to ensure MacD's survival in Spore. They've done a good job of location selection, determining the size of each location, logistics, etc

However, in Spore I would never eat at MacD because they've done too much cost cutting on their burgers.

 

[johnny333]

Well, the thing is that they have been there for years before the intervention. If you think theirs is bad, try Old Town Coffee at East Coast.

Eating out in Spore is no longer fun. Whereever you go now there's usually a Food Republic, Kopitiam franchise... with the same food outlets e.g. chicken rice, yong tafu, etc.

I find better places to eat in Malaysia, Batam, Thailand,...

 

[oli9]

You just cited the reason for the closure. They guy opened the restaurant and takeway next to each other but the price differential was enormous. Come out with the same kitchen in the centre and in the same shape and quantity but on plate and not paper.

After a while, the restaurant closed down.

This chap was a funny businessman. He had no concept of pricing, service and he offended the banks by calling all over and asking ridiculous discounts. He also could not cover his fixed costs and royalty base price. Eventually the bank foreclosed his Bayshore Apt which was mortgaged for the business.

Nothing to do with rent. The place did not have any tenants for a long time. I wonder if anyone took over the outlet.

Scroobal
Is this a fact? From what I understood, their closure was due to government agencies' constant changes (always upwards & silly conditions)in rent that brought an early departure to this superb establisment.

The restaurant has more menu selection not offered on the takeaway section. If u want to eat baked oysters, for instance, u have to dine in the restaurant itself.

 

[scroobal]

Scroobal
Is this a fact? From what I understood, their closure was due to government agencies' constant changes (always upwards & silly conditions)in rent that brought an early departure to this superb establisment.

The restaurant has more menu selection not offered on the takeaway section. If u want to eat baked oysters, for instance, u have to dine in the restaurant itself.

Yes. I know who the owner is. Harry Ramsden Fish and Chips is a proven product. Its one of the situation where product owners themselves have no interest in franchising but someone else is keen. So he was pretty much on his own.

Nobody takes home baked oysters and it does not rank among the popular items. The waitresses were middle aged, Ah Soh like and clueless for a British food restaurant. The killer was the price differential. Common sense would have told him that he needs to package it differently so a direct comparison can't be made.

Though he had an excellent location with ample parking, I suspect that he went overboard in keeping costs down. Even before the doors opened he was asking for discounts, concession etc.

Rent was never an issue. It remained vacant for very long time.

I am pretty sure, its will get customers real quick if it returns.

 

[denzuko1]

Eating out in Spore is no longer fun. Whereever you go now there's usually a Food Republic, Kopitiam franchise... with the same food outlets e.g. chicken rice, yong tafu, etc.

I find better places to eat in Malaysia, Batam, Thailand,...

The problem is that Singapore is a strange place where the Garment discourage competition. There is high barrier for entries. You have to accept stringent requirements even before you rent the place. Your stall has to open 7 days a week and must be certain number of hours a day, else you will be fine. There is almost no way you can start small, even a hawker stall needs more than 40K to start.

So everywhere you go is a duplication of a few Franchise.

 

[scroobal]

I think I saw the owner helping out at counter on weekends, also saw some angmo working there. Their system had problems when there were too many customers, there were mixed ups with the orders & sometimes arguments between the cooks/order takers & customers

Its tough to have a successful business in Spore. That franchise obviously didn't have a strong strategy/system like Macdonalds. A pity because their fish & chips was better than the stuff served at MacD

Yes, you enter a dingy door to the takeway side, no queue, no system and no idea what is going on.

Do agree the fish was good.

 

[johnny333]

There is almost no way you can start small, even a hawker stall needs more than 40K to start.

I have heard of the minimum age requirement of 40 yrs but didn't know about the $40k to start.

Is this $40k kept by the gov't as a deposite

 

[The_Latest_H]

The problem is that Singapore is a strange place where the Garment discourage competition. There is high barrier for entries. You have to accept stringent requirements even before you rent the place. Your stall has to open 7 days a week and must be certain number of hours a day, else you will be fine. There is almost no way you can start small, even a hawker stall needs more than 40K to start.

So everywhere you go is a duplication of a few Franchise.

That's not good for the economy in the long run. In other countries, the economy thrives when there are many viable businesses operating around, and being profitable. That's why while they have a strong economic foundation in which they will be able to post steady strong, stable growth, ours is more like bubble growth...2-3 years of 8-9% 'headily' growth, followed by -10% recessions for a while.

Other economies are build on brick, concrete and mortar- and even installed with the latest anti-earthquake measures. Ours are built on bird feathers, ordinary glue and poker cards.

 

[johnny333]

Other economies are build on brick, concrete and mortar- and even installed with the latest anti-earthquake measures. Ours are built on bird feathers, ordinary glue and poker cards.

Yah, it will be interesting to see what they are going to do with all those unemployed Sporeans. They will of course try to ignore but in a years time when things don't improve, what then?

 

[DrPanacea]

The best Fish & Chips I have ever tasted was in London. It was a shop called SeaFresh Fish Restaurant just across the road near Victoria Station. I went back many times. Real Britisth frying with selfraising flour or beer in the batter. But I will never know. I once had the skate with crunchy bone cartilages and a generous serving of golden crispy chips on the side. Goes perfectly well with malt vinegar.

Another place was right here in Singapore just outside the Seletar RAF then. It was traditionally wrapped with newspaper and you can even read the news right on the fried batter. The real McCoy! Only SGD2 then. My apologies if you some of you guys missed the good old times.

 

[DrPanacea]

Other economies are build on brick, concrete and mortar- and even installed with the latest anti-earthquake measures. Ours are built on bird feathers, ordinary glue and poker cards.

Just like the USA Singapore economy is based on paper gain. Look at the the property and the financial sector and the external economy of Temasek and GIC. Most profits are only reflected by paper gains. Worst still, CEOs and top execs are paid bonuses based on these paper gains, now blown away by the global meltdown.

President Obama has identified this and he says this is what he is trying to fix. Small businesses are the backbone of the economy, not greedy banks and greedy property owners. This is what we should be doing too. Some people have to wake up and get real.

My apologies. We are supposed to discuss fish and chips here.

 

[scroobal]

The best Fish & Chips I have ever tasted was in London. It was a shop called SeaFresh Fish Restaurant just across the road near Victoria Station. I went back many times. Real Britisth frying with selfraising flour or beer in the batter. But I will never know. I once had the skate with crunchy bone cartilages and a generous serving of golden crispy chips on the side. Goes perfectly well with malt vinegar.

Another place was right here in Singapore just outside the Seletar RAF then. It was traditionally wrapped with newspaper and you can even read the news right on the fried batter. The real McCoy! Only SGD2 then. My apologies if you some of you guys missed the good old times.

Despite having tried loads of fish and chips in their tradional homeland UK, some of which are really good, there were 2 others than came out very well - fremantle, Perth facing the fishing harbour and Woolonggong, NSW

It got a lot to do with the type of fish as well. Halibut in the UK, Butterfish in OZ and NZ.

Damn, mouth watering, anyone knows the best in Singapore now?

 

[AddinMedia]

Too poor to try the fish while I was in UK, but the fish cake and chips with pea curry were yummy!

 

[po2wq]

... Other economies are build on brick, concrete and mortar- and even installed with the latest anti-earthquake measures. Ours are built on bird feathers, ordinary glue and poker cards.

huh? ...

tot it was built inside a pc? ...