Tastemakers: How Aston Soon went from being a hawker to owner of 37 restaurants

Straits Times

17-05-2025

Mr Aston Soon had worked at two American chains – Ponderosa and Kenny Rogers – from the age of 17 to 32. ST PHOTO: GIN TAY
Tastemakers: How Aston Soon went from being a hawker to owner of 37 restaurants
SINGAPORE – When Mr Aston Soon opened Astons Specialties in a corner coffee shop in East Coast Road in 2005, he did so with some urgency.
His wife was six months pregnant with their first child. Then 33, Mr Soon had worked at a dog breeding farm and helped a friend set up a cafe. None of these jobs moved him.
But Mr Soon, who stopped schooling after Secondary 5, had worked at two American chains – steak and salad brand Ponderosa and roast chicken brand Kenny Rogers – from age 17 to 32.
With $40,000 from his own savings and loans from friends, he opened Astons Specialties. Its good-quality steaks, at down-to-earth prices starting at under $10 with sides, resonated with customers. Before the year-long lease was up, he had to look for a bigger space. He found it two doors down. Queues started forming as word spread.
Then the malls started calling. He started opening and opening. Now, as the brand marks its 20th anniversary, the 53-year-old has 37 restaurants.
While Astons is very much associated with well-priced, good-quality steaks, the group also runs Japanese and Chinese restaurants. There is even a shop in Joo Chiat called East Treasure Speciality Prawn Noodle.
Mr Soon also has a five-storey, 50,000 sq ft manufacturing facility in Senoko that makes ready-to-eat meals, and can manufacture sauces and other products, and a catering arm called Jaz Catering.
It all grew from one coffee-shop stall. Others have tried to do the same. Why did he succeed? He says: 'I threw myself in totally.'
Independent streak
By his own admission, Mr Soon did not see the point of going to school. He was happier working odd jobs. He started at age seven, helping his mother peddle huat kueh and other steamed cakes near Old Airport Road Market.
He was the second of five children, and lived with his family in Guillemard Road. His father ran a construction firm and later became a taxi driver, and his mother was a homemaker.
'Working let me meet a lot of people, learn a lot of things,' he says. 'I enjoyed this freedom to decide what I wanted to do.'
His odd job stints included working in a coffee factory, serving kopi , working in a duck rice stall and selling Christmas cards door-to-door. 'By Secondary 5, I stopped buying textbooks,' the Chung Cheng High School (Branch) student says. 'My school bag had my pager and work uniform. Very often, I attended classes in the morning and would sneak out during recess to go to work.'
Somehow, he says he does not know how, he scored five credits for the O levels. He did not bother to collect his results and found out only when a friend told him he had passed.
'I couldn't believe my eyes,' he said, adding that he applied to several polytechnics, but was not accepted. Private school courses in interior design and computing did not stick either. So, he applied for early enlistment in national service and completed it in 1991.
A part-time job at Ponderosa at 17 became a full-time one, and he was able to work as a waiter, dishwasher and broiler cook. He rose to become a supervisor and then a manager, and went over to Kenny Rogers, where he served as restaurant manager until he quit in 2003.
He then went to work at a dog breeding farm and helped set up his friend's cafe. At the age of 32, he married his former colleague LiLi Ng, who is now 45.
A cut above
Astons started as a stall in an East Coast Road coffee shop.
PHOTO: ASTONS GROUP
When Astons opened in 2005, in the same East Coast coffee shop that later launched the Saveur brand in 2011, Mr Soon outfitted the stall with second-hand equipment – fridge, fryer, griddle and char broiler . He did all the cooking. From dealing with suppliers at Ponderosa and Kenny Rogers, he was able to convince a large company, Indoguna, to supply him with good-quality meat from Australia and New Zealand. It still supplies his group to this day.
Mr Soon wanted to set himself apart from Western food stalls in hawker centres, with their thin pork chops and baked beans. At Astons, a 180g striploin from New Zealand with two side dishes cost $9.50. Customers could pick from fries, potato wedges, mashed potatoes, corn on the cob, vegetables , coleslaw and pasta salad, among other side dishes.
'I wanted to provide restaurant-quality Western food in a coffee shop,' he says. 'This proved to be good for us. We were so different.'
Lamb chops from Australia, the tender T-bone cut, cost $14.90 a serving. He says: 'One day, an uncle came up and told me it was very expensive. I told him I'd cook it for him. If he liked it, he could pay me. He ate it and gladly paid me the $14.90.'
His first customer, though, ran up a much bigger – $76.80 – bill. She was Ms Lyn Lee, founder of the Awfully Chocolate brand.
Ms Lee, 51, who had an Awfully Chocolate store across the street where I12 Katong mall is now, remembers how Mr Soon came to introduce himself before he opened.
'So, we made sure we were there to support him on opening day,' she says, adding that she put up a copy of his menu, so her staff could order in their meals from Astons. 'He was so industrious and hardworking, he would deliver their meals to the store.'
'He's the nicest, most humble, down-to-earth person,' she says. 'We only have nice things to say about him and are so proud of what he has achieved.'
Those were back-breaking days because he did the cooking, with help from his wife, mother-in-law and sisters-in-law.
He says: 'One friend, who owned a gym nearby, contacted me recently and reminded me how I used to squat in the alley with a cigarette in my hand while taking a nap. I worked from 11.30 to 3am , then rode my bike home to Woodlands. So, if there was time for a break, I would squat and sleep.'
That friend, Mr Muhammad Latif, 52, says: 'One time, he almost fell into a drain. That guy is very hardworking. On the day his wife gave birth, he asked me to watch the stall for two hours while he went to see her. He was a one-man-operation. And he is still so humble.' He is now a businessman, but used to own Body Craft Fitness near the coffee shop, and would order chicken and fish meals from Mr Soon. He says he recommended his gym buddies and students, too, and Astons would customise low-carb meals for them before body-building competitions.
Astons was a cut above in other ways too. Mr Soon decided to do deliveries to nearby pubs and dropped his menu off at those establishments. One night, a pub customer called to order garlic bread. He told the man to give him some time, then walked the $1.20 order over to the pub.
Mr Soon recalls: 'He said, 'Wah, $1.20 you also come all the way.' I said it wasn't about the money, it was about him wanting to try my food. Things just went wild. Many pubs started to order.'
He stocked up on chicken wings, nuggets and fries. But his pub customers started ordering the expensive stuff – steaks.
'I asked a bouncer why, because nugget orders would be easier for me,' he says. 'He told me the men were buying meals for the hostesses. 'You think they will order nuggets?''
One time, a pub customer ordered 60 meals from Astons. He delivered them in batches of 20, riding them there on a bike.
Other customers, not just pub denizens, soon found Astons. Because he was working for himself and wanted to represent himself 'the right way', he checked on customers, asking for their feedback. If something was not right, he would fix it on the spot.
A nearby church ordered meals regularly from him on weekends, and people celebrating birthdays and anniversaries started turning up. One couple, he says, requested wagyu steaks. He special-ordered a 300g Australian wagyu for them, pricing it at $54. They and other satisfied customers spread the word.
'I was very blessed,' he says. 'I was supported by a lot of people.'
Growth spurt
Most of the tables in that coffee shop were taken by his customers, to the consternation of other hawkers there. He found a bigger place for Astons two doors down.
'I saw it and felt that the place was waiting for me, I'd better act fast,' he says. 'I called the agent, asked about the rent, and told him to come and pick up the cheque.'
In June 2006, the restaurant opened. The 1,500 sq ft space could seat 40 and stayed open until 2am. Eight months later, he took over an adjoining unit to add more seats. 'We would get a full house at 1am,' he says. 'People knew we were open till late.'
Long queues formed outside Astons when it moved from a coffee shop to a proper restaurant space.
PHOTO: ASTONS GROUP
His 180g striploins then sold for about $11. The long queues for them soon drew the attention of landlords. One of them was Cathay Organisation. It wanted an Astons in its Handy Road mall, The Cathay.
Mr Soon says: 'I was very honoured . I never dreamt of going to Orchard Road , but I told the team I couldn't afford the rent. They came back and gave me a very comfortable rate to start with. I just want to say I appreciated the goodwill.'
And so his first restaurant in town opened in 2007. 'We took over a cafe on the fourth floor. It was like a ghost town. I got worried. But surprisingly, we had queues. And security kept coming up to tell people not to block the escalator.'
He opened yet more restaurants, funding each with revenue from the business and a loan from his father-in-law. His wife became the operations manager for the group.
Interior of Astons Prime in Joo Chiat Road.
ST PHOTO: GIN TAY
Mr Soon developed new market segments for his steakhouses, categorising them, in his mind, like plane seat classes. For example, Astons Specialties, with 11 restaurants now, is economy class. Astons Prime, launched in 2007 and with one restaurant in Joo Chiat, is premium economy. The Ranch Steakhouse & Bar, launched in 2018 and with one restaurant in Purvis Street, is business class.
Economies of scale allow him to keep prices sane. A 180g Prime Sirloin Steak at Astons Specialties is priced at $20.90 and comes with two side dishes.
Astons Prime in Joo Chiat Road.
ST PHOTO: GIN TAY
There is also the more casual Astons Steak & Salad, launched in 2015, with three restaurants; and the halal Andes by Astons, launched in 2016, with nine restaurants.
The group now serves beef from Australia, New Zealand, Argentina, the United States and Japan, importing about 150 tonnes a year.
Its stable includes Bizen Okayama Wagyu Steakhouse, launched in 2018, with three restaurants , including at Bugis Village . These restaurants import entire carcasses, and showcase how flavourful secondary cuts of Japanese beef can be. Prices start at $20.50 for a 150g steak (round cut), with two side dishes , and a 150g tenderloin is priced at $40.50 .
He also has two butcheries, Ginkakuji Onishi in Tembeling Road and West Coast Plaza, a joint venture with Ginkakuji Onishi, a reputable beef supplier in Kyoto.
The fried chicken aficionado started Chic.A.Boo in 2014 because he was unable to find the fried chicken of his dreams. He developed a recipe using fresh, not frozen, chicken, opting for larger birds from Malaysia. They come to Singapore live, and are slaughtered here and delivered to the restaurants. There are three restaurants, including one at Sembawang Shopping Centre.
He says: 'The chicken I want to present is juicy, tender and served hot. The freshest fried chicken you can ever get.'
Because he wants to stick to his principles, he adds that waiting time can sometimes be longer.
Other restaurants in the stable include Aji Ichi Sushi Bar at Changi Airport Terminal 4 and Tempura Bar at SingPost Centre, both of which opened in 2023. There are also three outlets under the East Treasure Chinese Restaurant brand, which launched in 2018, serving 60-hour dry-aged roast duck.
Global presence
Mr Aston Soon, founder of Astons Group, at Astons Prime in Joo Chiat Road.
ST PHOTO: GIN TAY
To call Mr Soon low-key would be an understatement. He turns up for the interview at Astons Prime in Joo Chiat Road dressed in a polo shirt and khakis, both dark grey. There is no flashy watch. He helps his staff position a wine barrel and prop cow at the front of the restaurant, for photographs he will appear in.
He and his wife, who have three children aged 14, 17 and 19 , live in a semi-detached house in Loyang.
After the interview, he invites this reporter to a late lunch of prawn noodles at his East Treasure Speciality Prawn Noodle, a short walk away from the steak restaurant. This is how he prefers to eat – chicken rice, fishball noodles, chye png or economy rice, with kopi. 'I rarely go to high-end restaurants. I go to coffee shops for local fare most of the time.'
He laughs when asked if he plays golf. 'Golf? I have no time for golf,' he says. 'When I have free time, I spend it with my family and I cook.'
He enjoys cooking steak at home and favours the zabuton cut, or the chuck flap, prized for its tenderness and flavour. But his repertoire includes curry, noodles and stirfries. Cooking has been a passion of his from a young age, when he would read cookbooks to make dishes like steamed fish.
What he does devote time to is working on the future of the Astons brand.
He and his wife lead the company. She oversees the factory operations and administration, including human resource and finance. He takes care of business development and restaurant operations. 'I'm the striker, she's the goalkeeper,' he says.
He wants to develop the ready-to-eat meals and catering wings of his business. He wants more of a global presence and is looking to open in Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia and Brunei. There are already eight franchised Astons Specialties overseas – two in Myanmar, three in Malaysia, three in the Philippines – and an East Treasure which opened in 2024 in Osaka , a joint venture with Kyoto beef supplier Ginkakuji Onishi .
Despite being burnt badly and losing $2.2 million when he opened a steakhouse in Foshan, Guangdong province, in 2015, only to close it two years later, Mr Soon does not rule out opening more restaurants in China , if he can find a good partner .
'I did not understand the culture of the business, the people and the lifestyle,' he says. 'Every city in China is like a country of its own. Doing business there was very eye-opening for me. They can get anything done with a snap of the fingers. Right or wrong is not the question.'
One example he cites is how at his restaurant, some steaks were flambeed with Jack Daniel's bourbon. Restaurants started copying the move, using baijiu.
He is also going deeper in engaging his 600 full- and part-time employees, to understand and meet their needs. After all, he was once just like them, working to make a living. When he visits his restaurants and spots issues, he deals with them and even does 'a bit of counselling'.
He says: 'It's my responsibility. I try and understand their expectations and communicate what our expectations are. I've always believed we all have a common objective – to earn money, to be recognised, to be happy, to be comfortable.
' I want to lay it all out, what we can do to meet their expectations. If we can't hire people, we'd better think about how to retain people.'
He has come a long way from the rebellious kid who skipped school to work, who quit a comfortable restaurant manager job to leap into the unknown. What would he tell some starry-eyed newbie looking to grow a hawker stall into a restaurant empire?
'Can you afford to lose? What is the impact of you losing? You must have an entry and exit strategy.'
To mark its 20th anniversary on May 15, Astons Group has rolled out a slew of special promotions. For more information, go to www.astons.com.sg/20th-anniversary
Tan Hsueh Yun is senior food correspondent at The Straits Times. She covers all aspects of the food and beverage scene in Singapore.
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