Eatery may stop selling chicken dishes after Malaysia bans exports

Well-known eatery Tian Tian Hainanese Chicken Rice in Maxwell Food Centre will stop serving chicken dishes if it cannot get fresh chicken supplies.

The 36-year-old business gets its chicken entirely from Malaysia, which will ban exports from Wednesday.

If Tian Tian cannot find alternative suppliers, "we will bring back dishes like fried tofu, fried pork chop and prawn salad, but we will not use frozen chicken", said founder Foo Kui Lian, 73.

Malaysia announced on Monday that it will halt the export of up to 3.6 million chickens a month, until domestic production and prices stabilise.

Tian Tian, which has two other branches in Clementi and Bedok, frequently features on lists tracking the best chicken rice outlets in Singapore.

But with three outlets, a central kitchen and many staff, its overhead costs are high, and Madam Foo said the ban will likely bring about a financial hit.

Yesterday, patrons, wary about the ban's impact on their eating choices, flocked to Tian Tian during lunchtime, with queues extending beyond the perimeter of Maxwell Food Centre.

Mr Peter Low, 28, who works in the finance industry, said he has dined at Tian Tian for many years, since his national service days. He said he would be disappointed if it stopped serving chicken rice, but added: "I am sure that I will still be able to find good chicken rice elsewhere, even after the ban."

The owner of Ah Tai Hainanese Chicken Rice, just two units away from Tian Tian, is apprehensive. Mr Wong Liang Tai said his stall requires 20 to 30 chickens daily, and he is still discussing with his supplier on the best alternative for Malaysian chicken.

"I will try using frozen chicken, but I am not sure how good it will taste," said Mr Wong, 63.

Other chicken rice stall owners are also working with their suppliers to find solutions.

Ms Grace Lau, the third-gen-eration owner of Ming Kee Chicken Rice in Bishan, said: "We came to an agreement with our supplier to import more chicken before the ban."

Ms Sharonne Tan, 59, chief operating officer of halal Chinese cuisine restaurant Tang Tea House, which has several outlets islandwide, said up to 10 per cent of its revenue comes from chicken rice.

"We will continue to sell it for the time being, even if it requires us to use frozen chicken," she said.

Mr Teo Jew Kit, 53, founder and owner of Jew Kit Chicken Rice, was initially shocked when he heard the announcement, but is less worried now.

"I believe that Singapore's poultry industry will have ways to manage this problem. These suppliers have a responsibility to us, and will be actively stockpiling fresh chicken, and if there isn't enough, we will find other options," he said.

The general manager of Boon Chiang Hainanese Chicken Rice, Mr Ng Chung Han, 50, is confident he will not be let down by his supplier in Malaysia.

"At first, I was panicking, the news was sudden, and I didn't know if Malaysia would stop the supply to us," he said. "Lucky for us, it called to tell us that it will continue."

 • Additional reporting by Young Zhan Heng, Chong Xin Wei and Karen See