Malaysia
Singapore
Thailand
Family-run businesses always prove to be a challenge. Now, one feud has truly exploded with Ng Yong Cheong, the founder of Hong Lim Market and Food Centre‘s Tanglin Crispy Curry Puff threatening to disown his son.
Those who frequent Hong Lim Food Centre and other kaypoh folks may be aware of the chaos between Tanglin Crispy Curry Puff and Tanglin Crispy Curry Puff Original. Both formerly operated under the same name, and Peter added “Original” to his stall’s name due to trademark issues.
Tanglin Crispy Curry Puff Original was started in 1952 by Ng Yong Cheong. In 2016, it was taken over by Peter, his oldest son. Peter’s younger brother, Ray opened a curry puff stall under the then same name (Tanglin Crispy Curry Puff) just a unit away from them.
Disagreements quickly became accusations when Peter claimed that his stall was the authentic one. In a statement, Peter asserted that his Tanglin Crispy Curry Puff Original was the one that won the Michelin Guide recommendation in 2017, thanks to his hard work and that they had been using the name for a long time. He has even taken to the business’s Facebook page to post 77 slides as proof of his claims.
Founder of famed HarriAnns Nonya Table at Tiong Bahru Food Centre passes away
According to Shin Min Daily, founder Yong Cheong was incredibly unhappy with these claims, even accusing him of distorting the stall’s history. Yong Cheong states that he was still in charge when the award was given.
Yong Cheong stated that Peter had neglected his family after he had gotten to know a Chinese lady, who is now Peter’s fiance. It was claimed that Peter became money-crazy, refusing to run the business with an appropriate income distribution.
As such, Yong Cheong has decided that he will pass on the Tanglin Crispy Curry Puff name to Ray and his 2 daughters. With that decision, the founder has decided to cut ties with Peter as well, while claiming that Peter was the one to sever ties first.
Younger brother Ray has taken the same stand, and also accuses Peter of misleading the public into believing Peter’s Tanglin Crispy Puff Original was the authentic one. Both stalls were found under different Google location listings, but have now merged into 1 listing. Ray claimed that Peter did this intentionally.
Peter claims that Google has agreed that he should hold control the listing since he is the primary owner.
On the other hand, Peter accuses Yong Cheong of blatant favoritism. He asserts that Yong Cheong did not give the same publicity to both stalls, even choosing to sit in front of Ray’s Tanglin Crispy Curry Puff to attract regulars.
With so much tension building between the 2 stalls, it seems that it’s not just the curry puffs that are spicy here. Which stall is the true successor — what do you think?
First Dibs: Robert Chicken — We tried the robot-made Korean fried chicken
