[SINGAPORE] Years ago, tourists could stop at Kim Choo Kueh Chang’s Changi Airport restaurant for a taste of Peranakan food. Locals could pop by its kiosks at Ion Orchard or Century Square to pick up a bundle of Nonya rice dumplings.

Today, only two branches of the brand remain standing, at Joo Chiat Place and East Coast Road. Earlier plans to sell or list the business have also been shelved.

But if you ask Edmond Wong, third-generation owner of the family business, this scaling back is not a sign of failure, but a testament to the family’s efforts to “safeguard what is really important”. 

Despite the downsizing, Kim Choo’s revenues continue to climb every year. But Wong, who is also director of business development and corporate social responsibility, is not concerned about “vanity” metrics. Instead, he aims to “sustain a good business”, which he believes means protecting heritage and sustaining a community.

And the reconfiguration does not mean that Kim Choo is abandoning expansion. Said Wong: “Our growth strategy right now is not growth for growth’s sake, but we grow with a good purpose.”

Living history

Wong’s grandmother, the eponymous Lee Kim Choo, founded the food establishment under a banyan tree in the aftermath of World War II, before securing a bank loan and setting up in a shophouse.

His parents eventually inherited it, introducing new products – such as chicken, vegetarian and bite-sized renditions of its rice dumplings – and expanding the business.

Wong, formerly a programmer, joined Kim Choo in 2009, because the company was facing a manpower crunch. The government had implemented significant manpower restrictions to manage Singapore’s dependence on foreign l...