Burnt Ends: How Kuro Kare ran into a price ceiling it couldn't clear

How a $3.20 price ceiling and four months of semester breaks ended Kuro Kare's NUS chapter.

4 hrs ago • Tian Wen

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House Rules: Dominic Yu on setting up Japanese restaurants in Singapore (Part 1 of 3)

The first edition of Commune's latest series covers the capital, the sourcing, the manpower, and the mistakes that close Japanese concepts before they…

Apr 15 • Tian Wen

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For Mervyn Chua, the kitchen was always the easy part

The founder of Mervyn's Madeleines on betting everything on the craft, and what Bangkok taught him about the rest.

Apr 3 • Tian Wen

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A Singaporean Beer, Brewed Abroad

Singapore's most iconic F&B names were built here. Increasingly, they are made somewhere else.

Apr 1 • Tian Wen

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March 2026

For Dawn Loo, Loo's Hainanese Curry Rice was worth every sacrifice

The third-generation owner on choosing legacy over comfort, and earning her place one change at a time.

Mar 20 • Tian Wen

Your customers aren’t yours

Ghost kitchens promised Singapore’s F&B operators a smarter deal. The data always told a different story.

Mar 18 • Tian Wen

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When the Lights Go Out in Singapore

The city's F&B workers keep being the last to know when businesses close. The Providore is only the latest example.

Mar 11 • Tian Wen

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How Singapore's hawker centres lost the morning

Singapore’s hawker centres are quiet at dawn. The problem isn’t costs — it’s what got removed from the morning.

Mar 4 • Tian Wen

February 2026

Burnt Ends: How Strait Grains ran out of runway before it could run

The build-your-own bowl concept had the right product, the right niche, and a defensible location. What it didn't have was enough money to survive its…

Feb 25 • Tian Wen

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Burnt Ends: How Shaker Lakers’ unfair advantage became its fatal flaw

When COVID-era supplier deals disappeared and margins evaporated, even a hero product couldn't save this burger stall.

Feb 18 • Tian Wen

August 2025

Burnt Ends: What really put the lights out at Lime House's party

How management of the beloved Caribbean-themed restaurant gradually lost their way.

Aug 8, 2025 • Tian Wen

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July 2025

Burnt Ends: How poor time and location trapped Monan Pork in a niche

Our first instalment of the Burnt Ends series revisits one of Singapore's former hawker stars and how wider factors beyond their control derailed the…

Jul 23, 2025 • Tian Wen