Singaporean content creator Luke Chan, more popularly known as Lukeychan, might be best known for his hilarious relationship videos and cheeky skits but now, he’s determined to prove that he’s serious about making it in the F&B industry.
The 27-year-old – who has over 173,000 followers on TikTok – has just opened his first full-service eatery Pasta Papa, a cosy 60-seater space at Bukit Merah Sports Lifestyle Centre.
Luke Chan (centre) had always wanted to open an F&B business. (Photo: Pasta Papa)
Luke Chan partnered DLLM Lok Lok’s owner, Jayden Loh, 30, to launch their new concept. The duo, who have been gym partners for years, tell us they came up with the idea to start Pasta Papa during a random workout session together. This also explains their amusing name. “We always go to the gym, and we’re guys, so we thought, papa lor!,” Loh laughs.
Though it might seem more apt for gym buddies to open a more health-focused low-carb eatery, Loh says they scrapped the idea as they felt the market for that “too niche”. “I wanted to tap on Luke’s audience also, so I felt that selling Italian dishes and pasta would be more marketable,” he explains.
Chan, on the other hand, adds that he had always wanted to open an F&B business, but had just been unsure of what to sell till now.
“I know that F&B has a more challenging nature. I actually wanted to prove to myself, and the people around me [that I can do it], and do something that I like. I enjoy serving people, and since young I enjoyed pasta a lot,” he says.
The two of them, alongside two other business partners, invested around S$50,000 (US$36,800) to open Pasta Papa.
Pasta Papa is fit with faux brick walls and fixtures like a telephone booth for customers to pose for pictures. (Photo: Pasta Papa)
“Most of our customers are actually [my] viewers. There’s been a good response so far, even though there are some haters dropping comments that I’ll close down in a few months. But I try my best to not be affected by it and just do what I have to do,” Chan laughs.
His message to the haters?
“Sometimes we have to take the risk, if not we’ll never know what we can achieve. It is definitely normal that people will hate on someone when they’re trying to grow – even God has haters, so who am I to not have haters. It is what it is, you just gotta do what you gotta do!”
He continues: “I think one of the interactions that surprised me the most was when this customer came down three days in a row. This customer watches my videos and I think he likes the food too! When we first opened he gave us two chocolates, then [on] the third day he came and gave us two bottles of wine. That really touched me,” he says.
If you’re hoping to catch a glimpse of the TikToker, Chan tells us he’s going to be at the eatery quite frequently. At Pasta Papa, he’ll take on more of a front-of-house role, while Loh does most of the cooking.
What’s unusual about Pasta Papa is that you can do your own cooking here, if you wish.
For S$39.90 (feeds two people), patrons have the option of donning chef’s whites and whipping up their own pasta main (either bolognese, carbonara, vongole or seafood aglio olio). With each DIY package, patrons will be provided with all the ingredients required for making their pasta, plus an instructional video on how to go about cooking it.
According to Jayden Loh, you don’t have to worry if you’re a novice cook: “There’s a step-by-step video in animation form, so we’ve kinda gamified it to be like a Cooking Mama concept. It’s very suitable for kids and couples,” he says.
He adds that there’ll be waitstaff walking around at all times to oversee the process, in case customers need help.
With each DIY package, patrons will be provided all the ingredients required for making their pasta, plus an instructional video on how to go about cooking it. (Photo: Pasta Papa)
But isn’t the whole point of going out for a meal so that someone else can cook it for you?
So far, Loh says the DIY pasta experience is most popular amongst couples and families with kids. He adds: “No one has complained, ’cause it’s your choice. We still have the option for us to cook for you, so if you don’t want to cook your own pasta we’ll still do it for you”.
Each set also comes with one appetiser (either bruschetta or smoked duck), two soups, and one dessert (tiramisu or panna cotta).
Of course, if you’re not keen on ‘working’ for your food, Pasta Papa also has their regular menu, which offers the typical range of cafe-style pasta options. Here, Loh says their signatures include Carbonara (S$11.90), Bolognese (S$10.90), and Seafood Aglio Olio (S$13.90). There is also Truffle Risotto (S$11.90) and Crab Meat Risotto (S$13.90).
Pasta Papa is at 3500A Bukit Merah Central, Singapore 159837. Open daily 12pm to 10pm. Tel: 8223 4073.
This story was originally published in 8Days.
For more 8Days stories, visit https://www.8days.sg/
Continue reading...
The 27-year-old – who has over 173,000 followers on TikTok – has just opened his first full-service eatery Pasta Papa, a cosy 60-seater space at Bukit Merah Sports Lifestyle Centre.
Luke Chan (centre) had always wanted to open an F&B business. (Photo: Pasta Papa)
Luke Chan partnered DLLM Lok Lok’s owner, Jayden Loh, 30, to launch their new concept. The duo, who have been gym partners for years, tell us they came up with the idea to start Pasta Papa during a random workout session together. This also explains their amusing name. “We always go to the gym, and we’re guys, so we thought, papa lor!,” Loh laughs.
Though it might seem more apt for gym buddies to open a more health-focused low-carb eatery, Loh says they scrapped the idea as they felt the market for that “too niche”. “I wanted to tap on Luke’s audience also, so I felt that selling Italian dishes and pasta would be more marketable,” he explains.
Chan, on the other hand, adds that he had always wanted to open an F&B business, but had just been unsure of what to sell till now.
“I know that F&B has a more challenging nature. I actually wanted to prove to myself, and the people around me [that I can do it], and do something that I like. I enjoy serving people, and since young I enjoyed pasta a lot,” he says.
The two of them, alongside two other business partners, invested around S$50,000 (US$36,800) to open Pasta Papa.
Pasta Papa is fit with faux brick walls and fixtures like a telephone booth for customers to pose for pictures. (Photo: Pasta Papa)
“Most of our customers are actually [my] viewers. There’s been a good response so far, even though there are some haters dropping comments that I’ll close down in a few months. But I try my best to not be affected by it and just do what I have to do,” Chan laughs.
His message to the haters?
“Sometimes we have to take the risk, if not we’ll never know what we can achieve. It is definitely normal that people will hate on someone when they’re trying to grow – even God has haters, so who am I to not have haters. It is what it is, you just gotta do what you gotta do!”
He continues: “I think one of the interactions that surprised me the most was when this customer came down three days in a row. This customer watches my videos and I think he likes the food too! When we first opened he gave us two chocolates, then [on] the third day he came and gave us two bottles of wine. That really touched me,” he says.
If you’re hoping to catch a glimpse of the TikToker, Chan tells us he’s going to be at the eatery quite frequently. At Pasta Papa, he’ll take on more of a front-of-house role, while Loh does most of the cooking.
What’s unusual about Pasta Papa is that you can do your own cooking here, if you wish.
For S$39.90 (feeds two people), patrons have the option of donning chef’s whites and whipping up their own pasta main (either bolognese, carbonara, vongole or seafood aglio olio). With each DIY package, patrons will be provided with all the ingredients required for making their pasta, plus an instructional video on how to go about cooking it.
According to Jayden Loh, you don’t have to worry if you’re a novice cook: “There’s a step-by-step video in animation form, so we’ve kinda gamified it to be like a Cooking Mama concept. It’s very suitable for kids and couples,” he says.
He adds that there’ll be waitstaff walking around at all times to oversee the process, in case customers need help.
With each DIY package, patrons will be provided all the ingredients required for making their pasta, plus an instructional video on how to go about cooking it. (Photo: Pasta Papa)
But isn’t the whole point of going out for a meal so that someone else can cook it for you?
So far, Loh says the DIY pasta experience is most popular amongst couples and families with kids. He adds: “No one has complained, ’cause it’s your choice. We still have the option for us to cook for you, so if you don’t want to cook your own pasta we’ll still do it for you”.
Each set also comes with one appetiser (either bruschetta or smoked duck), two soups, and one dessert (tiramisu or panna cotta).
Of course, if you’re not keen on ‘working’ for your food, Pasta Papa also has their regular menu, which offers the typical range of cafe-style pasta options. Here, Loh says their signatures include Carbonara (S$11.90), Bolognese (S$10.90), and Seafood Aglio Olio (S$13.90). There is also Truffle Risotto (S$11.90) and Crab Meat Risotto (S$13.90).
Pasta Papa is at 3500A Bukit Merah Central, Singapore 159837. Open daily 12pm to 10pm. Tel: 8223 4073.
This story was originally published in 8Days.
For more 8Days stories, visit https://www.8days.sg/
Continue reading...