Back in primary school, Mohamed Riyas Bin Mohamed Iqbal listened to his classmates share their dreams of becoming doctors and engineers when they grow up.
He, on the other hand, aspired to take over his family’s 75-year-old F&B business.
Now, Riyas is on the way to becoming the third-generation owner of Haji Kadir, known for its bold red sup tulang merah (mutton bone soup). The brand has three outlets, with the original stall at Golden Mile Food Centre and two others in Tampines and Lavender.
The 26-year-old currently oversees the Lavender stall while juggling his university studies.
Despite having plenty on his plate, Riyas knew exactly what he had signed up for.
“I felt like I could do it and had no concerns. I was confident that I could handle both,” he told AsiaOne when we visited his stall.
Growing up with sup tulang merah
“My earliest memory of Haji Kadir was when I was in a stroller. My parents would push me to the shop, park me in a corner, and then do business,” Riyas recalled with a laugh.
A large part of his childhood was spent at the family’s stall in Golden Mile Food Centre. By the time he was in secondary school, he began helping out with the business on weekends and during the school holidays.
Riyas first started with simple tasks such as packing food and frying eggs, and eventually worked his way up to cooking dishes.
“At the start, I made mistakes and customers complained that the food I cooked was too spicy, salty or sweet. But when you make mistakes, that’s how you learn,” he said.
And learn, he did.
During the visit, AsiaOne tasted the stall’s signature dish and found the sup tulang merah to be sweet and savoury, with a slight gaminess. The mutton bone marrow was surprisingly good, and was buttery and packed with umami.
All that time spent in the kitchen with his family, particularly his father, made Riyas realise that it was the path he wanted to pursue when he got older.
It also helped that the hawker community at Golden Mile Food Centre had always felt like a safe, supportive space to him.
“When I was in primary school and spent time at the hawker centre, the stall vendors knew me and took so much care of me. It motivated me to continue this line of work,” he told us.
Becoming manager
During the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, the family opened Haji Kadir’s Lavender outlet. It was, however, a trying period for the business due to the strict dining regulations.
Riyas’ parents needed extra hands, so he came on board as the outlet’s manager. His tasks mostly involve carrying out quality checks and managing the accounts.
Even when he was in National Service (NS), he was helming the business during the weekends.
This was when he decided to pursue a university degree.
“I thought, why don’t I study business management at university? It can help me run the restaurant and make the transition of taking over the business much smoother,” he said.
After completing his NS in 2023, Riyas enrolled in a programme at the University of London and is slated to graduate in 2027.
By day, he focuses on his studies. Come evening, he’s running the eatery.
On weekdays, Riyas typically spends around five hours at Haji Kadir, while weekends often see him working half or full days.
Balancing these two demanding tasks has been challenging for Riyas, especially during exam periods and when assignments pile up. To cope with this, he tries to reduce the hours he spends at the restaurant.
Despite the pressure, he has been managing the stress pretty well.
“I don’t burn out easily, I’m a person who keeps on running,” he said with a chuckle.
Customers are sometimes surprised to see someone as young as Riyas running an outlet of a longstanding business like Haji Kadir.
“Sometimes people see me and think… ‘What is this kid doing here?’ But age is just a number,” he shared.
Occasionally, unhappy customers would ask for the manager, only to be taken aback when Riyas approached their table.
But he is taking such situations in his stride.
“I’ll talk to them and ask what’s wrong and what they are unsatisfied with. And I will try to do what is best for them,” he said.
Carrying on a family legacy
While Riyas is unmarried and has no kids, his long-term goal is to start a family and watch his children follow in his footsteps.
“I followed my father, and he followed his father. That’s how the legacy grows,” he said, adding that his parents are proud of him for taking over the reins.
While no one has approached the family to buy over the business, Riyas is unwilling to accept one if such an offer ever comes.
“This business is something which has a legacy. It is not easy to put a price on it,” he said.
“It has been around for 75 years. Even if someone gives me money for it, I wouldn’t have the heart to sell it.”
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