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Howard Chua-Eoan, Columnist

So You’ve Taken Over Your Family’s Restaurant

Mom-and-pop operations are delicate things, and scaling up doesn’t guarantee success.

Sharing a table at one of Singapore’s hawker restaurant centers.

Photographer: Nicky Loh/Bloomberg

Restaurants are delicate things — especially mom-and-pop operations. Among the smallest of small businesses, the most successful attract customers with a combination of low costs, intense deliciousness, do-it-yourself charm and pure gumption. The hawker stands of Southeast Asia are famous examples of this. Diners forgive rough service, put up with long queues and forego white tablecloths — if not tables — for a chance to enjoy a secret sauce, that special spark, the elemental spirit passed down generation to generation.

Scaling up these tiny treasures might maximize profits, but the risk is losing the magic. A line of cooks organized along Auguste Escoffier’s kitchen brigade system may help churn out dishes and feed a lot more people efficiently, but certain recipes require exacting experience and a discriminating je ne sais quoi. They may not survive the transition. Customers who are used to lower prices will also grouse at the increased costs that come with more staff and expanded real estate. A purist or two will complain that you’ve sold out.