It ain't easy being a hawker. Just ask Zack Goh.
The 32-year-old started Ah Goh Goh Laksa located at Blk 216 Bedok North Food Centre and Market with his elder sister Cheez Goh in March last year.
But after slightly more than a year of "hustling", Zack decided to call it quits and hang up his ladle for good in June this year. His sister too, has decided to "take a break" for the time being.
Zack shared with AsiaOne however, that the business is still continuing, with the reins handed over to their dad, who also used to be a hawker.
In fact, Zack and Cheez's traditional laksa was based on their dad's 20-year-old recipe, but more on that later.
In a TikTok interview by user Javierseow on "untold truths about being a hawker in Singapore", Zack shared what made him become a hawker and then decide to throw in the towel after just one year.
Zack, a former assistant art director and booker for a local modelling agency, shared that when he first hatched the idea, it was a time when many young people were bitten by the "hawkerpreneur bug" and lured by the prospect of being their own bosses.
"They want to try something different, because food will never go out of business right?" said Zack.
In the same spirit, Zack and his sister, too decided it was worth a shot.
As it happens, Zack's father used to have a stall, also in Bedok, where he sold laksa as well as lor mee for seven years.
Zack recalled that his father's laksa was "good, because it was traditional", and so the pair decided to hone in on perfecting the dish.
"We thought, this one will never fail, so that was why we decided we wanted to [set up] a stall," shared Zack.
After doing some "R&D" work at home, they dived headlong into the business without much thought, he added.
"We never considered much. Nice? Can sell? Go," said Zack.
But one year in, Zack said he was forced to "throw up the white flag" in surrender.
When asked why, Zack shared in the video that there are just "too many", but added that his health was one of the top reasons.
"I found that my physical health deteriorated because what we do is very strenuous," said Zack.
He described how he could feel certain parts of his body wearing out due to the repetitive motion and being "physically active for 12 to 15 hours", from 3.30am in the morning, six days a week.
"You don't have the energy to do anything, and you feel burnout already," shared Zack.
He also found the lack of social life and lack of time in general gradually eating at him.
"When you come to think about it, the effort and the reward don't justify the amount of time you put in," stated Zack.
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Speaking to AsiaOne separately on the topic, he added: "I felt like I was caged there. I had no freedom, no social life. My life was just laksa."
In the TikTok video, Zack proffered that being a hawker could have been a "very good business model" during his father's time.
But now, Zack has found that "to make that kind of money", a "normal, proper job" would give one more time, freedom and health.
He pointed out that when one is unwell as a salaried employee, at least "you're still being paid in some way".
Besides not being able to take medical leave as a hawker, there are still the running costs to consider when the stall is shut.
"If you don't run the stall, you still have to pay rent," said Zack, who estimated that their running cost was about $400 a day.
Describing a time when he was down with Covid-19 and was quarantined for 14 days, he shared that the stall had to be closed for the period, without any way to recoup on their running cost.
However, if you think Zack has any regrets on his hawker venture, think again.
"I would still do it," he remarked, when asked whether he would still make the same decision if he could turn back time.
"I would still do it to know that I don't like to do it or that I cannot take it," he reasoned.
Zack further explained: "Some people will just think and analyse until they're paralysed [about whether or not to go into the food business], but if they never really try, they wouldn't know.
"So it was a good experience for me to try, hands-on."
He added that he "did not lose any money in it" and the time he spent was a "good experience for me to realise that I cannot accept doing this for the next five or 10 years down the road".
And to "reconfirm" that giving up on his hawker journey was the right decision, Zack shared that he helped his dad out recently at the stall when the latter was feeling unwell.
"I thought, maybe I will still find the passion or the interest again," said Zack. But that wasn't the case.
"I'm thankful that I didn't continue doing it."
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Zack shared that while their dad is now managing the stall, it is temporarily closed as the the food centre is undergoing renovation works until end-November.
As for Zack, he is now back in his old trade — handling trade shows, that is.
The serial entrepreneur has returned to the exhibition company, The Vine Design & Construct, which he co-founded five years ago but left in 2018 to pursue other ventures.
When we asked if he's happier now, he shared with a laugh: "Yes, of course I am.
"Because I feel that I have a life now."
candicecai@asiaone.com