Owner Of ABC Brickworks Fishball Stall Hopes To Sell Recipe For S$500K, Wants To Retire

Yong Kee Famous Fish Ball Noodle Owner Hopes To Sell Fishball Recipe For S$500,000

Half a million dollars is turning out to be a popular figure for hawkers wanting to sell their famous recipes to a successor.

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Recently, another owner of a well-known establishment revealed that he is thinking of selling off his business so he can retire.

Mr Lim Gek Liang, who runs Yong Kee Famous Fish Ball Noodle at ABC Brickworks Food Centre, hopes that someone will be willing to buy his secret recipe and the brand for S$500,000.

The price is negotiable and Mr Lim will spend three months showing the new owner the ropes.

Makes 3,000 fishballs by hand every day

According to Shin Min Daily News, Mr Lim dropped out of school in Primary 3 to help out at his father’s fishball noodle stall along Havelock Road.

At 15, he started learning how to make fishballs from his father and other mentors.

Mr Lim eventually took over the noodle stall and moved it to ABC Brickworks Food Centre in 1974, where it has been operating ever since.

The 63-year-old proudly told the Chinese paper that his fishballs consist of 100% fresh yellowtail fish — he never uses any fish paste or fish meal.

He reportedly makes 3,000 fishballs by hand every night till about 11pm and starts work the next morning at 8am. He only rests on Tuesdays.

Hopes to sell fishball recipe for S$500,000

However, Mr Lim said he is getting on in years and is starting to feel tired.

Rolling thousands of fishballs daily has taken a toll on his physical health. The hawker said he feels numbness and tingling in his hands, and he also suffers from back pain.

Because of this, he has recently started considering retirement.

But before he does so, he wants to find a successor so the craftsmanship his father passed down to him will not be lost.

If Mr Lim is able to find the right person to take over, they will get not just his secret recipe for the fishballs, but also the entire brand. He will also spend three months training the new owner.

As for the asking price, Mr Lim said he hopes to get an offer of S$500,000. Depending on how the discussions go, that amount can be negotiable.

Son also runs fishball noodles stall

There is another Yong Kee Famous Fish Ball Noodle stall over at Alexandra Village Food Centre, not far from ABC Brickworks.

Mr Lim’s 31-year-old son works at that branch.

The younger Lim told Shin Min Daily News that his father has not discussed the potential sale of the business with him.

However, he stated that since the brand ultimately belongs to the elder Lim, it’s entirely up to him what he wants to do with it.

The elder Lim said that if the new buyer does not mind, they can continue sharing the brand name with his son. If they do mind, the younger Lim can change the name.

Hope Mr Lim finds a suitable successor to take over

Running a hawker stall for decades is no easy feat, and Mr Lim deserves a nice and relaxing retirement after working hard for so long.

Hopefully, he’ll be able to find a suitable person to take over the business, and that the new owner will continue to deliver the same quality of fishball noodles that customers know and love.

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Featured image adapted from Shin Min Daily News on Facebook.