Test Kitchens

ANYONE who has tried will know that opening a new restaurant is hardly a wallet-friendly affair. Especially in Singapore, the typical investment for a casual eatery easily climbs to six figures - and that's just for the set-up. Add on monthly operating costs for manpower and notoriously high rents, plus a middling economy, and it seems that most new entrants are doomed to fail before they even begin.

But there are more than a few determined F&B entrepreneurs who will not be cowed, and are instead pursuing less risky ways of entering the market with their new concepts.

Wok Hey

Rather than set up a cookie-cutter cafe or juice bar, 34-year-old Jake Chia wanted to fry things his way with Wok Hey, a little kiosk in the baseme…