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Beach Road Hainanese chicken rice stall founder dies at 77, reminded family to open stall hours before passing

He and his wife opened their stall 38 years ago in 1987.

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January 22, 2025, 07:09 PM

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Thien Chor Meng, the founder of Da Po Hainanese Chicken Rice and Curry Chicken Noodle, passed away on Jan. 18, 2025.

He was 77.

In a Facebook post announcing Thien's passing, his children said the brand, which has two branches at Golden Mile Food Centre and Tanglin Halt Market and Food Centre, had been handed down to Thien's second son.

However, both branches will be closed for a few days.

According to Shin Min Daily News, Thien and his wife, Leh Kah Kiow, founded the business 38 years ago in 1987.

Over the years, the stall's branch at Golden Mile won several awards and was featured in the Michelin Guide Singapore 2024.

Handed business to son after health worsened

Speaking to Shin Min, Leh shared that Thien joined the food and beverage industry at a young age and knew how to cook a diverse range of cuisines.

When he noticed that there was no one selling curry chicken noodles at Golden Mile, he decided to start his own business.

Since then, the couple worked long hours at their stall while raising their four sons, recounted Leh.

However, Thien's health condition took a turn for the worse in 2016, forcing him to undergo kidney dialysis three times a week.

As a result, the couple's second son took over the reins for the family business, shared Leh.

Thien was 'workaholic': wife

However, after handing down the business to his son, Thien would still visit the stall daily to help collect money and retrieve used utensils, Shin Min reported Leh as saying.

According to her, Thien continued doing so even after he began frequenting the hospital around two months ago and before he was hospitalised.

Hours before he passed away on Jan. 18, Thien still made sure to call his wife and sons and asked them to take good care of the stall, recounted Leh.

"He called me during the early hours from the hospital, asking whether I had opened the stall for business. At the time, I told him to go to sleep as it was very early in the day," she added.

Looking back, Leh shared that Thien might have wanted to call his loved ones because he felt he did not have much time left.

She added that her husband passed away peacefully and did not have any regrets.

Commitment to stall & hawker culture

Echoing Leh, Thien's second son also shared with Shin Min some examples of Thien's commitment to his stall and the hawker culture.

According to Thien's son, his father had constantly reminded him of "the importance of running the stall well" and "not ruining the brand's reputation" after the handover.

"When we opened our second branch at Tanglin Halt in November 2024, my father was elated, as his dream of soaring his brand high had been realised," added Thien's son.

Besides helping at the family business, Thien also contributed to the local hawker culture and served as a mentor for new joiners, said his son.

According to a Facebook post published by the stall, Thien won the "Outstanding Hawker Mentor Award" at the Singapore Hawkers Awards 2024.

Top images via Shin Min Daily News & Da Po Curry Chicken Bee Hoon Mee & Chicken Rice/Facebook

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