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It’s no secret that the hawker business is a challenging one, be it for old-timers or fresh faces. Sometimes, the journey gets cut short. This looks to be the unfortunate case for Ah Lim Chicken Rice as they won’t even be making it to their first anniversary. Operations will cease come 28 Jan 2024.
Ah Lim Chicken Rice opened just last year at Bedok North Street in April 2023. Instead of announcing new plans for 2024, on 10 Jan they dropped the bomb of their closure on their Instagram and Facebook.
They cited “rising operational costs and challenging footfall at the coffeeshop” as the contributing factors. It was a bittersweet announcement as they also expressed the joy of serving customers both in Bedok and islandwide.
Despite the upcoming closure, they will not be halting business entirely. They are going to reassess their kitchen operations and seek a new location. They have said in their post they want to potentially return to selling chicken rice again.
For those unaware, a young trio of brothers founded and managed Ah Lim Chicken Rice. They looked to be one of the stalls that would usher in the next generation of hawkers. Their chicken rice dishes, like their Chicken Rice Set (S$5.80) and Triple Prosperity Meal (S$8.80) garnered solid reviews on Google.
They not only dedicated their craft to creating traditional servings of Hainanese chicken rice but were also innovators.
Ah Lim Chicken Rice’s signature is their hand-made chicken rice onigiris. They’re all shaped like cute chickens. Fans will be happy to know that they will still be available after their closure on 28 Jan. You can find instructions on their Instagram and TikTok pages.
As Ah Lim Chicken Rice still intends to stay in the game, let us hope they can find greener pastures soon.
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