For the Love of Food
What started as a childhood fantasy to build an F&B empire is gradually becoming a reality for multi-hyphenate Serene Chua
Serene Chua is a self-confessed foodie. The private banker, entrepreneur and mother of three grew up in a food-obsessed household that exposed her to a variety of cuisines, spanning local delights, and Italian and Japanese cuisines, among many others. She fondly recalls how her mother was the “quintessential buffet queen” and they would often plan meals at the Shangri-la Hotel and Copthorne King’s Hotel for the international and Peranakan spreads, respectively.
With Chua’s passion for food nurtured at an early age, she started dreaming about creating her own F&B empire—one that would have “fine dining and casual concepts, as well as ice cream and coffee joints”. This was further bolstered when, after graduating from school, she became the host of The Making of an Entrepreneur on Channel U & I. “I interviewed successful entrepreneurs with various businesses,” she recalls, adding that this inspired her to diversify from finance to food.
Her first big leap came four years ago when she and her business partner, Ho Song En, started Carvers & Co, a meat-centric brunch place on East Coast Road; it has since relocated to Marina View. One of its specialities was the General Burger—it was a best-seller and was named one of Singapore’s Top 3 Burgers in the Asia Burger Challenge. “Back then, [gourmet] burgers were pricey and we saw a gap in the market for affordable [options],” she explains. This led the duo to establish popular burger joint Wolf Burgers in 2016.
Three years on, Wolf Burgers has expanded to four outlets in Singapore—the latest one is located at the newly renovated Funan Mall. We caught up with Chua to find out how she’s coping with the fastchanging dining landscape.
Why does Wolf Burgers resonate with food lovers so well?
Our burgers are unpretentious, delicious and very wallet-friendly. It is always a fun experience to bond with family and friends over a satisfying meal of burgers, fries and milkshakes in a cosy environment.
How do you keep up with the trends in the F&B scene?
We always pay attention to global trends and embrace the changing tastes of consumers. Key developments in plant-based diets, sustainability and food technology are impacting the way we do things. With our fourth outlet at Funan Mall, our store has taken a 100 per cent turn to “tech” automation or self-service slant. That said, we still have servers who meet and greet customers and offer the friendly help needed. I feel that it’s still necessary to have the human touch in creating a special and memorable customer experience, despite an increasingly digital world.
How have the food offerings evolved?
With diners becoming more health-conscious and opting for organic or plant-based diets, we are the first burger joint in Singapore to offer Impossible and Beyond Meat burgers. We also have bun-less and lettuce burgers for vegans, while our miso tofu veggie wraps are popular with those who prefer even healthier options.
What rules do you live by as a food entrepreneur?
I believe that to survive in this volatile scene, you must possess passion, creativity, courage and the ability to inspire teamwork. Hiring the right people to execute the dream is equally important— investing in people is key. At Wolf Burgers, we have a good training and mentorship programme, and we do performance reviews for further staff improvement.
Clue us in on your future plans for Wolf Burgers and Carvers & Co.
We’re aiming to be around for the long haul, so regional plans are underway for the expansion of the two brands. In fact, Wolf Burgers has a winter pop-up store in Niseko, Hokkaido every ski season, and we’re opening a steakhouse there at the end of this year. We’ll also expand our presence to Australia and New Zealand because we want to bring our homegrown brands overseas and broaden our geographical footprint.