From fried chicken to K-beauty, he's bringing Korean culture to Singapore
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From fried chicken to K-beauty, he'due south bringing Korean culture to Singapore
Luke Yi became an entrepreneur when he founded Korean fried craven concatenation Chicken Up. Now the owner of two 1000-beauty salons, one of which houses a cafe, Yi finds joy in bringing unique lifestyle experiences to Singapore.
Korean F&B and dazzler entrepreneur, Luke Yi. (Photograph: Alvin Teo)
11 January 2022 06:30AM (Updated: 04 Jul 2022 04:46PM)
As a former consultant in the IT industry, Luke Yi enjoyed much success in the corporate world, having worked for big names such as Hewlett-Packard and Cisco Systems. But after 16 years in the industry, Yi establish himself listless and bored.
"The work was very routine," he lamented. "I was also travelling a lot. More than half of my fourth dimension was spent on the plane."
Born in S Korea, Yi migrated to New Zealand at the age of xviii. After working in Australia for x years, he moved to Singapore.
"When I was back in town, my time with family was very precious," shared the 45-year-old father of two. "When you're busy, every hour is important. And so when you go to a restaurant and find that the place serves good nutrient, but the service level isn't fantastic, y'all tend to be disappointed."
Yi's dismay at the service standards in Singapore'south F&B scene, coupled with his eagerness to do "something more fun", sparked the nascence of Chicken Up in 2012. When Chicken Up first opened, it was 1 of Singapore'due south offset Korean fried craven chains, sparking a craze.
"Back then, many of my friends in Singapore thought that Korean food is all about barbecue. Merely growing upward in Korea, I know that there's a lot more variety. It's just easier to prepare a Korean barbecue restaurant here," he shared.
"I chose to do fried chicken considering in Singapore, there's a mix of unlike races. Some don't eat beef and some don't eat pork, and then chicken is more commonly accustomed."
Nine years later on, Yi's entrepreneurship journey has seen him expand into the beauty manufacture with the opening of Korean dazzler salon, Leekaja. Marrying both the F&B and dazzler worlds, he opened Walking On Sunshine, a hair salon-cum-cafe, in 2018.
While Yi believes there's a potent appetite for Korean-related experiences in Singapore, "there'due south still a lot more to explore," he said. "I'm hither to bring in more Korean experiences, and non just the beat out of it, but the entire culture every bit well."
"I'm here to bring in more Korean experiences, and not just the shell of it, merely the entire civilisation equally well." – Luke Yi
COOKING UP A Tempest
Underpinning Yi's entire entrepreneurial journey is a want to bring innovation to traditional industries, he shared. When Chicken Upwardly first opened in Singapore, Yi was eager to create an F&B establishment where diners did more than just eat and get out.
"I was inspired to incorporate the distinctly fun way of Korean service to the Singapore eating house scene. This way, I was able to acquaint Singaporeans with the thought of Korean culture through the food that nosotros serve, and the Korean hospitality that comes with information technology," Yi shared.
"Nosotros created a fun drinking culture at Craven Upwards with our flavoured soju drinks such as watermelon, apple tree and pineapple, which were quite big hits at the fourth dimension. We also trained our staff according to airline service standards so they would be more than welcoming and attentive. We even had an incentive for them to call up the names of our regulars."
Afterward the success of Chicken Upward, Yi opened Korean-Mexican bistro Don't Tell Mama. While Korean and Mexican food seemed like an odd pairing at the time, it was a popular concept back in Korea. The fusion chophouse bar has since become a striking in the Tanjong Pagar area. Yi'southward F&B portfolio also includes the now-defunct Korean street food outlet Baro Baro.
Having achieved success in the F&B world, Yi was presently in search for a new industry to take on. "The affair with the F&B industry is that customer loyalty is very shallow. If diners like the food, they may come back. But people like to try new restaurants," he said.
"I wanted to also to prove to myself that the success of Chicken Up wasn't just pure luck."
SHAKING Upwardly THE Dazzler Industry
Beauty, he believes, is an industry with higher client retentivity. At the time, he felt that the beauty industry in Singapore was in need of a shakeup.
"When I first came to Singapore, not many people wore make-upwards. Just in Korea, people wearable make-upwardly fifty-fifty to become to the grocery store," he said. "Simply I knew there was a growing interest in the importance of looking practiced, and so I waited for the right opportunity to go into the beauty manufacture to make it a little bit more than exciting."
That opportunity came in late 2022 when Yi partnered with Korean beauty entrepreneur Madam Leekaja to open the first Leekaja Beauty Salon in Singapore. Leekaja is an established Korean beauty salon chain back in its habitation land, the showtime to be franchised worldwide. It at present boasts over 200 stores around the globe.
"A long time ago, people were obsessed with Hong Kong civilization, and then information technology was Japanese civilisation. Now it is Korean culture." – Luke Yi
The Leekaja Singapore website touts a "full Korean beauty feel without having to travel to Seoul". Located at Mandarin Gallery, it offers not but hairstyling services, only brand-upwardly, countenance, eyelash and nail services as well.
"Korea is widely known every bit one of the leaders in the beauty manufacture. Singaporeans have also been riding the Korean wave and many are obsessed with 1000-dramas. Right away, nosotros received a lot of demand and requests for our stylists to recreate hairstyles referenced from K-dramas," Yi said.
Beyond hiring Korean hairstylists, the salon prides itself for its customer service standards. "We take three to four client service officers, and what they do is ensure that customers are happy and satisfied. It'southward a heavy investment really, but at a lot of other places, there'south non enough receptionists, which results in a lot of waiting around."
At Leekaja, customers are seated at their very own spacious stations. Information technology can sometimes take hours to get their hair done, and then guests are given a robe and a pillow for comfort.
While many beauty salons in Singapore necktie customers downwards by pushing the sale of packages, Leekaja prefers to allow its experience do the selling. "We don't sell packages, we never sell packages. We permit our customers savour the experience and if they value that, they volition come dorsum."
Yi'south latest venture, however, is an innovative hair salon-cum-cafe, aptly named Walking On Sunshine. Located at Orchard Central, the secret garden-themed cafe is shrouded in lush foliage, surrounded with over a 1000 potted plants. Past the side of the cafe sits an expansive hair salon which offers simply near anything from a haircut to a dye job.
Since its opening in 2018, Walking On Sunshine has attracted a strong following, particularly those eager to snap a photo at one of its Instagram-worthy spots.
"I was in the F&B industry and then in beauty, and I e'er wanted to combine the two together to create a place where people can exercise many things at once. So take a family spending fourth dimension together on a weekend. Father and girl can enjoy a meal while mum gets her pilus and nails washed. Then they can take turns," Yi explained.
"Anyone can say that they're the meridian hair salon or buffet in the land, simply we actually let our customers experience it. If I tell them a agglomeration of facts, they will probably not recall it the next few days. But the feeling they felt while being hither is something that volition last longer."
ON TO THE Side by side BIG Affair
With his corporate life a afar memory now, Yi has no regrets about striking out on his own. A self-professed workaholic, Yi believes that the best function of becoming an entrepreneur in the beauty and F&B space is the ability to encounter new people every day.
"When I was in IT, the only people that I hung out with was IT guys," he laughed. "But at present, I get to socialise with different kinds of people, and that was what really pulled me into the service manufacture."
Bigger plans are already in the works. He'due south currently aiming towards opening four or 5 "mega-salons" in the next eighteen months, which will exist bigger than what he has already started.
While Walking On Sunshine combines a hair salon with a cafe, one of the upcoming mega-salons volition feature a beauty salon, cafe and a pilates studio. "After pilates, visitors can take a shower, and then go their hair and makeup washed. Subsequently that, they can enjoy healthy vegan food at the buffet with their friends. We want to create a space where people can spend hours and hours, without having to travel dorsum and along."
While Yi believes the Korean wave is here to stay for at present, he'southward aware that things may not exist the same in the future. "A long time ago, people were obsessed with Hong Kong culture, and and so it was Japanese culture. Now it is Korean civilisation, but that might alter in a few years," he acknowledged.
"But because people can't travel for now, I think they will expect for unique, different experiences. That'due south where I hope to spice things upwardly."
"Because people can't travel for now, I call up they will look for unique, different experiences. That's where I hope to spice things upwards." – Luke Yi
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Source: https://cnalifestyle.channelnewsasia.com/people/luke-yi-chicken-up-leekaja-walking-on-sunshine-235791
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