It may be turning 100 in three years, but Killiney Kopitiam is showing no signs of slowing down.
The kopitiam chain, which has 33 outlets here, is famed for its Hainanese-style kopi, kaya toast and local dishes such as curry chicken, mee siam, mee rebus and laksa.
To keep up with the craze over Instagram-worthy food, it will be debuting its Killiney Doffee ($4, left) at the Local Kopi Area at the Singapore Coffee Festival. The drink is kopi or tea topped with a kaya-glazed doughnut injected with a syringe filled with melted butter, white coffee syrup or kaya.
The concoction will be available only at the four-day festival. Killiney Kopitiam's booth will also sell coffee and tea.
Its director Woon Tek Seng, 68, says: "We are building on our firm tradition of kopi and kaya toast and developing innovative food products and dishes that can appeal to the younger crowd."
The chain has branched out into producing instant white coffee mix, which will be sold in some FairPrice supermarkets from next month, and has rolled out eight ready-to-cook pastes for dishes such as laksa, mee siam and chicken curry, based on its popular menu items.
Killiney Kopitiam general manager Henry Oh, 42, says more young entrepreneurs in their 30s are taking up franchise opportunities with the chain and giving the interiors of their outlets a modern makeover.
He says: "They are familiar with time-proven local kopi and dishes and want to present them in a hip and modern way."
Despite the crowded coffee scene, Mr Woon says business has not been affected.
"We have been expanding, with about 10 outlets opening here in the past two years. There's still a market for kopi as Singaporeans grew up with this flavour."
The chain sells more than 49,000 cups of kopi here daily and also has franchises in seven countries, such as China, Australia, Indonesia and, most recently, Myanmar, where its first outlet opened last year.
Its in-house roasted kopi is made with a blend of Arabica beans from Colombia and Robusta beans from Indonesia. The beans are roasted with butter, sugar and "other secret ingredients", adhering to the recipe that was passed down to Mr Woon when he bought the coffee shop in 1992 for $680,000.
Then a forex trader, he used to go to the coffee shop, previously known as Kheng Hoe Heng, in Killiney Road for kopi C and kaya toast for 16 years.
He later found out that its old Hainanese owners were looking to sell the shop and bought it to preserve Hainanese food culture.
Asked what he thinks is the enduring appeal of kopi, Mr Woon, who is Hainanese, says: "It lies in our blend of coffee beans. It has a strong and fragrant aftertaste that can last up to one hour in your mouth."
TIONG HOE SPECIALTY COFFEE
Booth 2B24