Location won them over

For married couple Dai Xue Yong and Zhang Zhi Ying, Geylang was the perfect location to set up their food business, Orient Garden Restaurant.

The one-year-old homestyle eatery, which serves Shanghainese cuisine, sits alongside several other Chinese restaurants.

'We know that Geylang is a food haven. We thought we could offer another variety of Chinese cuisine,' said Ms Zhang, 40.

Indeed, on week nights and weekends, their eatery is packed with China nationals who go there for a taste of home.

Singaporeans and tourists are among the patrons as well.

Ms Zhang said she and her 43-year-old husband had considered setting up shop in Chinatown, but a scouting trip to Geylang last year led them to do so in Lorong 39 instead.

They have been in Singapore for a year now and used to run a trading company in Shanghai.

'We felt that Chinatown attracts more of the tourist crowd whereas in Geylang, you get the people who live and work here,' she said. 'We just see so much potential in Geylang.'

The couple hired two chefs and two waitresses from China. They will consider opening a branch when business picks up.

They are now making small profits after paying the monthly rent of about $8,250, Ms Zhang said.

The couple live in the upstairs unit of the shophouse that is home to their restaurant. They like the location because they can get both local and China products easily.

'If I feel like eating prata, there's a stall just down the street. If I want to eat Chinese food like dianxin, it's also easily available here,' she said.

Source: Sunday Times, 13 Sep 2009