http://www.todayonline.com/articles/74378.asp[email protected]TWO years ago, when Mr George Yap started his mobile food van business, four other vans crowded the small car park at North Bridge Road. Competition was stiff and trade was restricted to three hours in the morning.
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Today, Mr Yap is the only surviving operator there. And out of the 28 permit holders allowed by the Urban Redevelopment Authority under the 2003 scheme, which drew more than 1,000 applicants, only five remain.
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On Friday, URA announced that the five will be allowed to extend their permits for another year. No new permits will be issued as the authority wants to focus on managing the car parks for motorists.
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Although the food vendors who dropped out complained about poor business and inflexible operating rules, the surviving ones told Today they were happy to continue.
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"Now that I am the only one left in the car park, it is more manageable. On good days, I can take in over $100 in sales," said Mr Yap.
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Mr Peh Chow Seng, who operates a van at Kallang Road, said: "I believe in slowly building up a business. If you want people to change their eating habits, it takes time."
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There is also the hope of recovering the initial start-up cost. Mr Yap said his start-up cost was "about $50,000", adding, "if we give up, all the effort I have put in will be all gone".
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The food vans are stationed at four car parks on Orchard Road, Angullia Park, Kallang Road and North Bridge Road from 7am to 10.30am every day, selling breakfast items such as kueh, sandwiches, nasi lemak and curry puffs to the office crowd.
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The monthly rent is between $190 and $280, and the operators can go to public parks, housing estates, factories, schools and construction sites, if they have the permission of property owners and clearance from the URA. Lee Ching Wern
[email protected]TWO years ago, when Mr George Yap started his mobile food van business, four other vans crowded the small car park at North Bridge Road. Competition was stiff and trade was restricted to three hours in the morning.
.
Today, Mr Yap is the only surviving operator there. And out of the 28 permit holders allowed by the Urban Redevelopment Authority under the 2003 scheme, which drew more than 1,000 applicants, only five remain.
.
On Friday, URA announced that the five will be allowed to extend their permits for another year. No new permits will be issued as the authority wants to focus on managing the car parks for motorists.
.Although the food vendors who dropped out complained about poor business and inflexible operating rules, the surviving ones told Today they were happy to continue.
.
"Now that I am the only one left in the car park, it is more manageable. On good days, I can take in over $100 in sales," said Mr Yap.
.
Mr Peh Chow Seng, who operates a van at Kallang Road, said: "I believe in slowly building up a business. If you want people to change their eating habits, it takes time."
.
There is also the hope of recovering the initial start-up cost. Mr Yap said his start-up cost was "about $50,000", adding, "if we give up, all the effort I have put in will be all gone".
.
The food vans are stationed at four car parks on Orchard Road, Angullia Park, Kallang Road and North Bridge Road from 7am to 10.30am every day, selling breakfast items such as kueh, sandwiches, nasi lemak and curry puffs to the office crowd.
.
The monthly rent is between $190 and $280, and the operators can go to public parks, housing estates, factories, schools and construction sites, if they have the permission of property owners and clearance from the URA. Lee Ching Wern
[email protected]TWO years ago, when Mr George Yap started his mobile food van business, four other vans crowded the small car park at North Bridge Road. Competition was stiff and trade was restricted to three hours in the morning.
.
Today, Mr Yap is the only surviving operator there. And out of the 28 permit holders allowed by the Urban Redevelopment Authority under the 2003 scheme, which drew more than 1,000 applicants, only five remain.
.
On Friday, URA announced that the five will be allowed to extend their permits for another year. No new permits will be issued as the authority wants to focus on managing the car parks for motorists.
.
Although the food vendors who dropped out complained about poor business and inflexible operating rules, the surviving ones told Today they were happy to continue.
.
"Now that I am the only one left in the car park, it is more manageable. On good days, I can take in over $100 in sales," said Mr Yap.
.
Mr Peh Chow Seng, who operates a van at Kallang Road, said: "I believe in slowly building up a business. If you want people to change their eating habits, it takes time."
.
There is also the hope of recovering the initial start-up cost. Mr Yap said his start-up cost was "about $50,000", adding, "if we give up, all the effort I have put in will be all gone".
.
The food vans are stationed at four car parks on Orchard Road, Angullia Park, Kallang Road and North Bridge Road from 7am to 10.30am every day, selling breakfast items such as kueh, sandwiches, nasi lemak and curry puffs to the office crowd.
.
The monthly rent is between $190 and $280, and the operators can go to public parks, housing estates, factories, schools and construction sites, if they have the permission of property owners and clearance from the URA.
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So much for encouraging enterpreneurism in Singapore.
Also, whats the difficulty of managing 5 breakfast vans??? Need 40 riot police help?? Perhaps our Asia top 4 Nanyang business school can start an MBA on "Car park managment".
