The life of a hawker in Singapore is tough.
You get up in the wee hours of the morning to buy and clean huge quantities of ingredients – many of which are labour-intensive to process – while most of the country is still sound asleep in soft beds.
You work all day in a tiny stall, whipping up dishes to order in front of a sweltering flame for hours without a break – only to sell each plate for less than $5 apiece.
Most days only end when the sun has set once again, leaving you to clean up your stall, head home for sleep, and get ready to do it all over again tomorrow.
It’s easy to understand why the arduous profession is losing its lustre in modern Singapore. The median age of hawkers here is 60 and will only grow older as younger people shun the wok in favour of more comfortable, profitable work.
Add in rising costs and rapidly shifting consumer tastes into the mix, and it’s no wonder that the country’s precious hawker culture – recognised by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity – might be on the brink of disappearing altogether.
But it’s not too late for hawker stalls – even longstanding ones with decades of history – to rethink their strategy and stay in the game. That is the premise of documentary Second Servings, produced by Accenture Song in collaboration with three hawkers.
The 46-minute production chronicles the journey of the hawkers’ as they worked with the tech-powered creative group of consulting giant Accenture to update their menus, preserve their legacies and stride into a digital-first future.
Gina Rajan of Gina’s The Singaporean Vadai in Dunman Food Centre, for example, worked with culinary consultant and chef Elvin Chew to elevate its hearty vadai offerings with a trio of dips inspired by popular local flavours including salted egg, rojak and even chilli crab.
First established in 1987 by Gina’s husband, Rajan worked with the consulting group to give her brand and packaging a modern Singapore-inspired makeover to broaden its appeal to younger customers. According to Accenture Song, this collaboration resulted in a doubling of the hawker stall’s social media followers and an increase in sales by 15 percent.
The couple behind Hwa Kee Lemon Chicken Rice in Peninsula Shopping Centre, Frankie Yeow and his wife Jane, were also said to have benefited from working with the consultancy. Chief among the changes was the relaunch of their eponymous fan-favourite lemon chicken rice – pairing crisp deep-fried chicken cutlet with a drizzle of sweet-tangy lemon sauce along with soul-warming soups.
Coupled with the introduction of food delivery services and digital payment gateways, this collaboration was said to lead to an increase in sales of 25 percent for Hwa Kee Lemon Chicken Rice – quite a feat considering the low footfall at the shopping centre.
The third and final hawker partnership was with Armenian Street Char Kway Teow’s Tan Boon Kiat, which now operates in a Sengkang food court having first been established by the hawker’s father back in 1949.
With no successor on the horizon, Tan opted to work with Accenture Song to digitally capture his skills with the wok and spatula, hopefully allowing the famed dish to be recreated with robotic arms in the future.
“We had an ambition to support an industry close to most Singaporeans’ hearts, says Thomas Mouritzen, Accenture Song Southeast Asia lead, on the creation of Second Servings. “[The show] reflects our creativity and use of insights and technology to reimagine local businesses and celebrates the hawkers’ aspirations and drive to innovate.”
“We hope the documentary can spark further industry discussions and rally people and organisations together to sustain and strengthen the hawker culture for generations to come.”
For more information, visit www.secondservings.tv.
Gina’s Vadai is at 271 Onan Rd, Dunman Food Centre, #01-06, Singapore 424768.
Hwa Kee Lemon Chicken Rice is at 3 Coleman St, #01-12 Peninsula Shopping Centre, Singapore 179804.
Armenian Street Char Kway Teow is at 303 Anchorvale Link, Singapore 540303.
Text by Alvin Lim. All photos courtesy of Accenture Song.
