Hougang Porridge Store Sees Long Lines, Crowds Often Block Corridor
If there’s one thing Singaporeans love, it’s our food. Many are willing to travel and wait in long lines to get that coveted culinary delight they crave for.
Recently, one particular porridge stall has caught the attention of foodies.
Sin Heng Kee Porridge, located at Block 685 Hougang Street 61, has been operating for over 20 years, but business has been booming since netizens started sharing about the stall online.
Long lines stretched along the HDB corridor, inconveniencing residents, reported Shin Min Daily News.
Long lines at Hougang porridge stall blocks corridor
Sin Heng Kee Porridge’s business has been doing great in the past two months, said Ms Ye, a resident in the area.
She shared that the HDB corridor will be filled with people queueing for their porridge during weekends.
Ms Ye has lived in Hougang for about 10 years. Speaking to Shin Min Daily News, she shared that residents heading to the nearby supermarket will pass by the corridor where Sin Heng Kee Porridge’s store is located.
But in recent months, the corridor has become too crowded due to the porridge stall’s popularity, especially during weekends.
“I’m of average stature, but I don’t even have room to squeeze through. Let alone the wheelchair-bound elderly, there’s no way they’ll be able to pass,” she lamented.
Just last weekend, she was heading to the supermarket but saw that the queue at the porridge store was over 10m long.
She then decided to take the more dangerous route of crossing the road to get to the supermarket.
Ms Ye said she was not the only one annoyed. Ultimately, she hopes Sin Heng Kee Porridge’s owner can do something about it.
Queue stretches to next-door shop
When Shin Min Daily News reporters visited Sin Heng Kee Porridge store on Sunday (9 Oct), they saw many people waiting for their food.
31-year-old Ms Tan, who worked in the area, said customers waiting for their porridge during peak periods would block the entire corridor. But they would often make way once she asked.
A Sin Heng Kee Porridge customer Ms Lin said on the weekends, it would get so crowded that she would have to lean on the wall while queueing just to let people pass.
Source: Facebook
Queues often get so long on weekends that customers end up in front of the provision shop next door. However, 47-year-old owner Mr Wu said he doesn’t mind this too much.
Owner apologises for inconvenience
Sin Heng Kee Porridge store owner 57-year-old Madam Wu said business has boomed in the recent two months as foodies have been posting about their shop online.
Source: Facebook
Addressing the inconvenience the long queues have caused residents, Madam Wu apologised.
She said she has assigned staff to oversee crowd control on weekends. The staff will guide diners to line up along the corridor in an orderly manner.
Currently, the store has 10 staff, most of whom are elderly.
“The elderly are not as nimble as the youth. They’ll do things slightly slower”, she said, asking for residents to be understanding.
MadamWu told Shin Min Daily News the store has been looking to hire more people.
However, young people often think the job is too tiring and won’t work for long. Because of this, the store has been struggling with a lack of manpower.
Besides the Hougang outlet, Sin Heng Kee Porridge has another outlet located at Block 101 Yishun Avenue 5.
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Featured image adapted from Burpple and Facebook.
