Hock Lam Street Beef Kway Teow is closing down.

The 108-year-old family business will cease operations on July 11, 2019.

The impending closure was announced on Facebook on May 2, 2019 by its fourth-generation owner Tina Tan, 44.

The last outlet is at ARC at 460 Alexandra road, #02-24.

Manpower shortage

Tan wrote that manpower woes has been killing the business, pinning the blame on job applicants who think preparing food from scratch by hand is too low class, as well as on the government as it "keeps revising the policy on hiring foreigners".

She also wrote that she had grown the business from a stall “located behind the old Capitol Building and old Funan Centre (7th floor)” to “6 full restaurant size outlets”, since taking over from her father 15 years ago.

But this appears to be the final stretch for the beef noodles business.

Remaining authentic

The insistence on menial labour for the business to thrive is due to staying authentic to the process of making the food by hand and not utilising machine processes, even though it may be more efficient and cost effective.

Tan also wrote: “I may be labelled as stubborn because of my insistence on using only handmade and hand sliced methods to handle all my beef and side dishes, therefore, the labor intensive problems hit us the most when the government keeps revising the policy on hiring foreigners.”

Customers unreasonable

In a separate post on March 30, Tan also wrote about an encounter with an unreasonable customer, who was upset and berated her as there was no lime to go with the meal.

The lack of lime was due to the poor supply, which Tan refused to accept from the supplier, as it would mean serving items of inferior quality to customers in turn.

No others around

This finality appears to also be the end of an era as the recipe will not be passed down.

Tan wrote that only her parents, sister and her know how to prepare the beef kway teow.

Her father, Anthony Tan, 73, is the only one whom "my grandfather has passed the secret recipe to as well as the handling methods of the beef”.

“Anyone who claims to be us is not related to or the original holder of the secret recipe,” she wrote.

The post thanked customers and asked for them to cheer the business on in this final lap.

Location: ARC at 460 Alexandra road, #02-24, Singapore 119963