‘Overwhelmed with happiness’: S’porean hawkers featured on Times Square billboard in New York
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Brostern was among 53 South-east Asian merchants featured on the billboard as part of an ad showcase by Grab.
PHOTO: BROSTERN/FACEBOOK
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SINGAPORE - Nestled within Ci Yuan Hawker Centre in Hougang, halal Western eatery Brostern has “travelled” halfway around the world to make an impression in a big way – on a giant billboard in Times Square in New York City.
The stall co-owners, brothers Raimy Tan, 31, Roimy Tan, 30, and Rainy Tan, 28, who are all Chinese-Muslim, were overwhelmed when they saw an image of their faces plastered across the LED video display on the exterior of the Nasdaq Marketsite tower on Nov 20.
Brostern was among 53 South-east Asian merchants featured on the iconic 37m-high display from Nov 13 to 20 as part of an ad showcase by Singapore-based ride-hailing company Grab.
Grab, which offers transport, food delivery and digital financial services, said in a statement that since its Nasdaq listing in 2021, it has used the billboard space “to recognise and show appreciation to... its community of driver-partners, delivery-partners and merchant-partners” in the region.
“This time round, Grab dedicated the space to give visibility to 53 home-grown merchants on the global stage, while reinforcing the breadth and diversity of food selection that travellers can get on the Grab app when they are in South-east Asia,” it said.
Mr Raimy Tan said he and his brothers pinched themselves when they were told they were going to be featured in Times Square.
“It was hard to believe,” he said. “It sounded too good to be true.”
Brostern is owned by brothers (from left) Rainy, Raimy and Roimy Tan.
PHOTO: COURTESY OF RAIMY TAN
Four other Singapore merchants were featured on the billboard. They were Mian Mian Bu Duan, a peanut pancake stall in Bukit Merah; Prata Lahhh!, a do-it-yourself prata outlet in Hougang; Nakin Thai, which serves Thai food in Clementi; and Fukudon, a Japanese food stall in Marine Parade.
Dishes from other South-east Asian nations that were showcased included nasi lemak ayam goreng from Malaysia, Siamese boat noodles from Thailand and crispy sisig from the Philippines.
Brostern was opened in September 2020 with the aim of providing affordable and tasty meals for those affected by the pandemic.
Mr Raimy Tan said he hoped that Singapore’s hawker culture being featured on a global stage like Times Square can help grow it even further.
“We hope that Singaporeans continue to find togetherness, regardless of race and religion, and build a strong nation, especially through food,” he said.
