Which Singapore celebrities own cafes? 35 stars who have gone into F&B, from Ben Yeo to JJ Lin and Rebecca Lim
Running a restaurant isn’t easy, even if you’re famous. From Ben Yeo’s ever-evolving restaurant empire to Taufik Batisah, The Muttons and Jeanette Aw, here’s a roundup of the local celebrities who’ve opened everything from hawker stalls to cafes, steak restaurants and online food businesses.
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F&B in Singapore is a notoriously tough game. Sometimes, it feels like a gamble. Just ask Ben Yeo, who’s garnered attention recently for his six Tan Xiang Sliced Fish Soup stalls closing.
On the other hand, the host and actor’s three Tan Xiang Charcoal Fishhead Steamboat outlets in Kallang, Woodlands and Chai Chee are still going strong. And, his newer concepts include a Thai eatery and a zi char stall.
Yeo has said in interviews that his business strategy revolves around experimentation and adaptability – a case of nothing ventured, nothing gained. He’s also shifted his trajectory from chasing scale and ambitious concepts to focusing on lower-cost, mass-market operations that can be tested and adjusted more quickly.
It may feel like celebrities have an unfair advantage in the marketing game. It certainly feels like nearly every celebrity, at some point or other, has decided to have a go at opening their own bar or food business. But, really, a famous face is no guarantee of a business’ success.
Here are some of the celebs who, like any other business owner, have opened F&B concepts and thrown their fate into the hands of fickle Singapore diners (the pandemic, of course, influenced a few closures), with varying degrees of staying power.
BEN YEO
Yeo’s F&B ventures go as far back as 2012 with Play Kitchen, a series of Western food stalls serving fusion pastas. In the years that followed, Yeo also partnered with fried chicken chain Tenderfresh, in addition to launching casual concept Hawkerman.
During the pandemic, he started online brand Singapore Chee Cheong Fun offering home-delivery kits; and then SG Umami, an izakaya and pizza joint place, in 2021. There was also a beer garden called Playground, a roast meat stall called Tan Xiang Charcoal Roast and even a durian business named SG Mao Shan Wang.
His first upscale dining concept was Tan Xiang Yuan in the Little India area, which closed in early 2025 after two years of operation. He now runs Tan Xiang Charcoal Fishhead Steamboat, Thai eatery BenKok13 and zi char spot Just 20 Dishes.
ANDIE CHEN
The actor and his brothers acquired the established local restaurant group Creative Eateries in 2025. Serving as the company’s Chief Marketing Officer, he oversees 14 brands and 24 outlets, including popular names like Bangkok Jam, Suki-Ya, Typhoon Cafe and Tanglin Cookhouse.
THE MUTTONS
Radio duo The Muttons, aka Justin Ang and Vernon Anthonisz, co-own roast meat eatery Fook Kin at Killiney Road, as well as Korat Thai Cafe at Orchard Towers, which they took over from the original owner in 2023; the casual eatery serves Thai street food and popular dishes like pad thai and tom yam soup. The izakaya they opened at Prinsep Street in 2022, Itchy Bun, has since closed.
REBECCA LIM
Lim’s brother, Daniel, is the chef and creative mind behind online bakery and pastry shop The Lim’s Kitchen and CBD cafe The Test Kitchen. However, she’s been actively supporting the business since Day One, especially through the extended reach of her social media posts.
YUNG RAJA
The rapper, whose real name is Rajid Ahamed, opened Indian-Mexican cafe The Maha Co in Fusionopolis with friend Quan Ong. It claims to serve the “world’s first dosa tacos” combining Indian and Mexican flavours, ingredients and textures.
TAUFIK BATISAH
The Singapore Idol winner opened fried chicken joint Chix Hot Chicken in 2018 with business partner and chef Bober Ismail. The spicy (and non-spicy) chicken shop is still going strong, and even opened a second outlet with an American diner theme in Prinsep Street in 2025.
WANG YUQING
Veteran actor Wang has two casual concepts: Golf Spot Cafe & Bistro at Mandai Executive Public Golf Course, which he launched in 2022 and serves Western fare like burgers and pizzas; and the newer Eat Here, Drink Here at Punggol Golf Driving Range, which has both Western and local dishes like nasi lemak, mee hoon kueh and curry chicken.
JACK AND RAI
The musical duo founded Japanese sushi bar and restaurant The Flying Squirrel at Amoy Street in 2013. Jack Ho and his wife Angelina Leong carry the bulk of the involvement, especially since Rai Kannu became a full-time Class 95FM radio presenter three years ago.
JJ LIN
The popular singer fronts Miracle Coffee at Marina Bay Sands, an artisanal coffee chain which he first opened in Taipei in 2018. The signature range of pour-overs and cold brews are made using single origin coffee beans from specialty coffee producers. There’s a Singapore exclusive Kaya Cloud coffee topped with kaya flavoured cream and shaved gula melaka chips.
HUANG YILIANG
After opening his hawker stall Old Fisherman at Circuit Road Hawker Centre serving up seafood dishes in April this year, Huang rapidly attracted attention over a public dispute just one month later. However, it hasn’t deterred him and he’s still serving up his signature crab noodles.
JEANETTE AW
The actress, who took pastry courses at Le Cordon Bleu in Bangkok and Japan, runs an online bakery called Once Upon A Time offering brownies, cakes and chocolate truffles. Her physical space, which functions as a pickup location, recently moved from Jalan Besar to the Geylang area.
FANN WONG
After taking up baking at home during the pandemic, Wong launched Fanntasy Bakes in 2021 with elaborate cakes, tarts and cookies. However, the business is currently on hiatus.
PIERRE PNG AND ANDREA D’CRUZ
Playful, beach-themed bar Tipsy Flamingo opened in 2021 at Raffles City as a partnership between Pierre Png and Andrea D’Cruz, and the Tipsy Collective. In the midst of restructuring by the Tipsy group, the bar closed in 2024.
DANIEL ONG
Former radio personality Daniel Ong, who first ventured into F&B with Twelve Cupcakes in 2011 alongside Jaime Teo, opened Dan’s Steaks in Serangoon Garden in 2021. (Another outlet at The Star Vista has since shut.) He had started cooking and sending steaks to his friends and family during the pandemic, and word then spread. Inundated with requests, he decided to open a restaurant. It isn’t just steaks at Dan’s Steaks – there’s also a sizeable menu of starters, sides and desserts.
Before this, Ong also had casual western restaurant chain Rookery, whose three outlets have all closed.
SHEIKH HAIKEL AND ANNA BELLE FRANCIS
The rapper and his wife, Anna Belle Francis, own Hai Ge Ji Hainanese Chicken Rice, which is currently in the process of moving to Bussorah Street. The Hai Ge Ji brand also extends to beef noodles, with Hai Ge Ji Beef Noodles outlets in in Yishun and in Plaza Singapura’s Kopitiam food court. Haikel also co-opened halal yakiniku joint Wakuwaku Yakiniku and used to front the now-defunct burger joint, FatPapas.
SHANE POW
Shane Pow’s F&B ventures include Japanese-inspired grain bowl and yakitori bar Mojo, opened in 2017; and, later, Gogiyo, a series of stalls serving Korean dishes like army stew. While those have closed, he now fronts online bakery Taiyo, which specialises in banana bread.
HONG LING AND NICK TEO
The celebrity couple launched bird’s nest brand House of the Swiftlet in 2018 selling dried bird’s nest from Indonesia and bird’s nest drinks in bottles. They have since wrapped up their involvement in the business.
DENNIS CHEW AND CHEW CHOR MENG
The two Chews are behind 888 Mookata, a popular Thai barbecue kopitiam chain. They previously launched a porridge stall in Ang Mo Kio in 2018 called The Famous Zhou or “Zhou Chu Ming”, a pun on Chor Meng’s Chinese name. Chor Meng’s other now-defunct businesses include Famous Pao Fan at Jalan Sultan and a lok-lok eatery.
LI NANXING
The actor opened Tian Wang dessert cafe in 2021, now located in Keong Saik Road. The mahjong-themed space serves desserts like chendol, black glutinous rice, durian mousse and mango sago. Recently, Li launched a limited-time collaboration with Town Restaurant at The Fullerton Hotel Singapore for a special National Day buffet, presenting his family’s most loved recipes.
TERENCE CAO
Cao teamed up with fellow actors Dawn Yeoh, Shane Pow and Vincent Ng to start a mee siam delivery business called Sibay Shiok in 2021. Sibay Shiok later pivoted to live-streaming sales.
CHANTALLE NG
Ng and a friend launched Yuan Collagen Soup in 2020, a chicken bone broth boiled for over 10 hours without preservatives or salt. The online business has not been active since 2022.
ADAM CHEN
The Tanglin star has had several F&B forays, like Japanese-inspired fast food joint R Burger in 2009 and Park Cafe in Holland Village in 2013. He also had a bar chain called Five, a donburi restaurant called Ebisu Bowls and a yakitori restaurant called Birders. His most recent venture was rooftop cafe Sunset On 11, opened in 2023. All his establishments have since closed.
IAN FANG
Fang had a short-lived stint co-owning restaurant and furniture store House of Mu on Mohamed Sultan Road in 2019, then opened a karaoke joint called Pub-G, which closed in 2020 soon after opening due to the pandemic and lack of proper licensing.
CHEN SHU CHENG
Chen opened Teochew City along MacPherson Road serving traditional Teochew dishes in 2018. The restaurant closed in 2020 during the pandemic, but later reopened at Kallang Way.
SONIA CHEW
The radio host opened a Singaporean-Japanese izakaya concept called Izy Fook at Club Street in 2019, with fusion Chinese-Japanese dishes. It closed about four years ago.
MARK LEE
Lee brought the cafe Old Town White Coffee into Singapore in 2008, then sold his stake in the business several years later. In 2017, he opened 13 Stages, a Malaysian-style chicken rice and coffee chain, which has since closed. And in 2019, he opened an outpost of the Ipoh chain Nam Heong in an Orchard food court; it has also closed.
JULIE TAN
The former actress launched Botany at Robertson Quay in 2019, with a menu featuring all-day brunch and pastas. The establishment started out as an offshoot of the Taiwanese Dazzling Cafe franchised by a friend of Tan’s. It closed earlier this year.
OLINDA CHO
The Singapore Idol alumnus sold premium fruits as well as fruit tarts via her business 888seasons.
IRENE ANG
The actress and entertainment mogul opened rooftop cafe Fry Bistro in 2012, and it’s still running today. Another of her ventures, Soi Candy Thai noodle bar in Tanjong Pagar, closed in 2023 after a three-year run.
VIVIAN LAI
Lai opened bubble tea chain Teabrary in 2018 at Esplanade Xchange. Teabrary expanded to a few other locations before finally ceasing operations.
Source: CNA/my
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