SINGAPORE: The owner of the Lou Shang, Sebastian Ang, announced on Tuesday (June 16) that the HDB-themed café will be closing on July 14.
Mr Ang, who is also behind two other restaurants, Mama Diam and Synthesis, announced in an Instagram post that he didn’t come to this decision overnight but went back and forth on the decision for a number of months.
“And the truth is, the numbers have been telling me the same thing every month. This business was hard to maintain,” he said.
In an unusual turn, however, he pointed out why exactly Lou Shang has failed to make money. The first reason Mr Ang gave was the café’s location. It’s on the second floor of a shop house on a quiet street, and the absence of a lift is likely to have discouraged people from coming.
He then talked about the café’s pricing, saying that the menu had been designed in the same way a restaurant would be, which meant it wasn’t meant for recurring visits
“So at the end of the day, I feel that it’s the value that customers pay for. If things are expensive and you don’t see the value in it, most likely people will not come back,” he acknowledged.
Nevertheless, he underlined that Lou Shang has become a space that people have come to love, though he added that first-time diners have all been pleasantly surprised upon arrival, “admiration does not build habits.”
He added that the amount of time the team spent on building a place themed around “perfect nostalgia,” they did not take into consideration “what was really needed for daily habits.”
Mr Ang nevertheless sounded proud of what he and his team have built over the past three years, despite making mistakes, and gave a shoutout to Lou Shang’s workers, who have shown up every day.
“There were so many birthdays celebrated here, and so many conversations that happened under this roof. We might have gotten the numbers and business wrong, but all of this, I think, they were all real,” Mr Ang added, inviting those who still want to come to Lou Shang to drop by before the café closes down for good.
His post has received a lot of responses from commenters, many of whom praised Mr Ang for his honesty.
“Wow. First time I see a closing business getting it right about what went wrong. I’ve been there twice, and I really couldn’t see myself going back again… But kudos to you for being so frank about it!” one wrote.
“Honest and true confession of a boss,” added another.
“I love your authenticity and acknowledging what could have been done better. Not many have the courage to own up to it… I can’t wait to see what’s next for you with all that experience under your belt. And just for this, I am coming back with a bunch of us,” a third commented. /TISG
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