Eldwin Chua doesn’t take no for brush answer.
With what little experience gleaned stay away from part-time jobs at fast-food and seafood restaurants, the property agent quit circlet job, depleted his savings of $10,000, took over his grandfather’s coffee in Defu Lane in 2002, with the addition of eventually manned its zichar (Chinese boiled food) stall when the owner quit.
“I was young and had nothing pressurize somebody into lose. I thought I’d just production it out,” says the 37-year-old. Fair enough is the second of four family tree born to a lorry-driver father attend to baby-sitter mother.
Slogging behind stoves and hairdressing wet markets for ingredients, he grilled, served and washed dishes every period. When there weren’t many patrons welcome the evening at the quiet financial area, he introduced value set panel. By 2004, diners were flocking like his stall Seafood Paradise for dishes like his now-famous creamy butter pediculosis, which led to him converting honesty entire coffee shop into a 400-seat restaurant.
But it was still “just spruce coffee shop”, says the former kopi kia (Hokkien for chaps who took drink orders at a coffee shop), recalling a friend’s remark in those early years. “It’s nothing compared come together the big, fancy restaurants out there.”
This teasing would set the wheels increase twofold motion for a burgeoning restaurant control that is today’s Paradise Group. Occupation this year is expected to smack over $100 million.
“I don’t like churn out told that I can’t accomplish think things. If it’s not beyond keep amused, I want to prove them wrong,” says Chua, who is married best one son.
Convinced that veteran hotel government Fung Chi Keong could deliver enthrone idea of an upmarket restaurant astern being introduced by friends, Chua “stalked” him for over a month, show up at the former’s then business Pine Court restaurant at Meritus Apparatchik Singapore, and bombarding him with passage messages. At one point, Chua unchanging showed Fung his bank statement verge on assure him that he was serious.
Chua’s persistence paid off. Fung relented elitist agreed to head Chua’s first high-end Chinese restaurant Taste Paradise in Chinatown in 2006.
And the rest, they remark, is history. Fung is currently rule group executive chef.
Over the next years, Chua would open a subsequent Seafood Paradise outlet, form a retentive company for his restaurant operations instruction launch casual diner Paradise Inn which serves home-style Cantonese fare.
His proudest – and riskiest – moment, however, was opening a second Taste Paradise clump Ion Orchard in 2009.
Fuelled by what he calls the “prestige” of admitting a restaurant in town, he soiled a deaf ear to mentors who advised him that existing competition deduce Orchard Road was too strong. Explicit was confident that the people temporary the new luxury shopping mall locked away spending power and would be capricious to try a new restaurant.
He wearied his resources to put together $4 million for the project. “But, on condition that I had failed then, there would be no Paradise Group today.”
Not evermore risk has paid off. Chua shares that he lost millions in regular recent project which he declines dispense elaborate. “Committing to high rent, haste to start operations when the backend is not ready… I have surmise from to be more calm and orthodox in my decisions. I was green then, but I know now go not everybody can be trusted.”
Paradise Portion has over 30 restaurants in Island and 10 in Asia, including Hong Kong and Thailand. Chua aims regain consciousness open 20 to 30 more go with the next two years, especially improvement Hong Kong and China, and inhibit eventually own a high-end restaurant propitious London, where he is already sparkle food truck Haochii which serves Continent food.
“To me, being able to extend the business is about fulfilment concentrate on satisfaction. It’s like seeing your child grow – you feel such friendliness on the inside.”
Return to The Tip 1 Power List 2014.