Lifestyle
Restaurant manager at Chinatown claypot store supposedly earns S$8,000 per month
She previously worked in real estate.
January 22, 2026, 12:10 PM
A Chinese content creator based in Singapore, known as Xavier (@xavierczh), recently posted a street interview-turned-day-in-the-life video featuring a woman working as a restaurant manager here.
The video has since garnered over 509,000 views on Instagram.
Xavier's content consists mainly of travel videos, including street interviews where he chats with strangers about their livelihoods.
Earns about S$8,000 a month
In his latest video, which was posted on Jan. 19, he began with a straightforward question to an allegedly random woman who was walking in Chinatown: "How much do you make a month?"
Her answer was eyebrow-raising: S$8,000.
The woman, who introduced herself as 29-year-old Zhang Lin, shared that she had been working in Singapore as a restaurant manager for about a year.
She added that she previously worked in real estate in China, but with the market slowing down, she decided to move overseas to earn a living.
Zhang then brought Xavier to her workplace, which was revealed to be Gunkee Claypot, a restaurant specialising in various Hunan dishes served in claypots.
Although it was only 5:25pm, Xavier pointed out that a long queue had already formed outside.
Reasons for the higher pay
Heading inside the restaurant, Zhang shared that the restaurant has been operating for close to a year, adding that rent in the area doesn't come cheap.
She then ordered several signature dishes for Xavier to try, including Honghu Lotus Root with Superior Pork Broth and Black Tiger Shrimp Balls with Vermicelli.
Over the meal, Xavier asked why a restaurant manager would command such a high salary.
In response, Zhang explained that the restaurant aims to offer higher overall pay to keep staff happy and motivated, attract stronger hires, and ultimately provide better service to customers.
She also compared her current role with her previous career in real estate, describing being a restaurant manager as more physically demanding.
Since opening, she said the team has revised the menu several times, continually tweaking dishes for their customers.
You can watch the full video here:
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Top photos via @xavierczh/Instagram
