They didn’t want to inherit the family business. Now, Tan Ser Seng’s 3rd generation owners are fighting for its traditions

Eighty years after their grandfather began selling herbal soup from pots balanced on a bamboo pole, the third-generation owners of Tan Ser Seng are opening their first outlet, located in a mall. They're hoping to win over a new generation while living up to their father's exacting standards.

Tan Ser Seng's second-generation owner Tan Khar Seng with his children, Allan and Vivian, at their new outlet at Great World. (Photo: CNA/Kelvin Chia)

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Neither Allan Tan, 35, nor his sister Vivian, 49, had envisioned themselves taking over the herbal soup business that their grandfather founded. As children, they had helped out at the stall and watched their parents get up at 2am daily to begin the laborious process of boiling the soups, taking a break only once every Chinese New Year.

“I had always told myself that I had to do very well in my studies because I didn’t want to take over the business,” Vivian recalled.

But, when it came down to the wire, “there are bonds that cannot be broken”.

That’s how it came to be that 80-year-old brand Tan Ser Seng, known for its traditionally brewed soups, is now in the hands of the family’s third generation. And, on the occasion of the milestone anniversary, Allan has spearheaded the opening of their first ever outlet, apart from their original restaurant – and it’s located in a mall, no less.

At Great World, their new restaurant has brightly lit interiors, ceramic crockery and electronic display screens – a far cry from the old-school vibe of their Geylang eatery.

(Photo: CNA/Kelvin Chia)

The brand is beloved by generational diners and Chinese tourists, but, they hope to also reach a younger crowd of locals.

Allan, who oversees the business, has the task of not only driving a heritage brand forward into the future, but also convincing unadventurous eaters that Tan Ser Seng’s famous turtle soup, a dish originally found only on the banquet tables of Chinese emperors, has a cultural legacy that deserves to survive. Much of the resistance stems from misconceptions about the dish, he shared – for instance, that it is made with wild sea turtles, when in reality, only specific freshwater turtle breeds farmed according to accredited standards are used for food.

Perhaps the siblings’ greatest challenge, though, is making sure the dishes served live up to the exacting standards of their father, 75-year-old Tan Khar Seng.

“My father thinks he’s a Michelin-starred chef,” quipped Vivian, who heads up kitchen operations and R&D. “The way you cook the dish, how much of each ingredient you add, must be very specific. He’s particular about presentation and checks every piece of meat.”

That may well be one important reason why the family-run business has made it to its 80th year and counting.

FROM STREETSIDE STALL TO FULL-FLEDGED EATERY

Tan Ser Seng serves a range of herbal soups. (Photo: Tan Ser Seng)

It all began with founder Tan Ah Sai, who, in 1927, emigrated from China’s Chaoshan region with his parents as a child and settled in Singapore. He started out as a fishmonger in a market before landing a job preparing meals at a corporate canteen. Here, he met a co-worker who would become his wife, Khar Seng told us.

Ah Sai loved to cook and would even create his own dishes, learning from his own failures along the way. His Teochew-style cooking was so well received that he even became the go-to caterer for neighbourhood weddings.

1946 was the year he first started hawking turtle soup with herbs as a street vendor. Balancing two large pots of soup on a bamboo pole hoisted onto his shoulder, he and his wife would make the 2km trek from their home to Lorong Tai Seng, where there were labourers who craved a hot bowl of nourishment. The business did well enough for them to eventually purchase a pushcart, around which they were able to set up four wooden stools for streetside customers.

Back then, a bowl of soup cost 20 or 30 cents, Khar Seng recalled.

The family had to pitch in and help out. Ten-year-old Khar Seng’s days started at 2am, doing everything from preparing the soup to manning the pushcart, which was “several times bigger than I was”.

Tan family portrait: Tan Khar Seng is the third child from the right. His father, Tan Ah Sai, is the first adult from the right. (Photo: Allan Tan)

After Ah Sai’s death in 1973, it fell on 22-year-old Khar Seng to spearhead the family business. “Before my father died, he told me, ‘You must do a good job with it.’ It was stressful, because the whole family was depending on me.”

Their first physical shop opened at MacPherson. If you’re confused because there is a longstanding turtle soup eatery called Ser Seng there, that’s run by Khar Seng’s younger brother.

Khar Seng decided to go it alone in 1986 and moved to a few different locations over the years including Mattar Road and Old Airport Road, eventually settling into the Geylang eatery in 1992, where Tan Ser Seng has since served generations of customers.

Tan Ser Seng's Geylang eatery (Photo: Tan Ser Seng)

While staying true to the essence of his father’s recipe, Khar Seng made innovations along the way that proved popular with guests. While other turtle soup vendors served fried vermicelli along with their soup, for instance, he decided to serve Teochew-style yam rice, a dish the family always made for their own gatherings and celebrations.

In the 80s, while watching a variety programme about hotpot dining in Japan, he was inspired to serve his soups in a bubbling claypot. Back then, the shop was popular with customers from Japan and Korea, who came here as building consultants in Singapore’s burgeoning construction industry, he explained.

Khar Seng’s dedication to the business was such that he would have his own soup every single day. “I ate nothing else, three meals a day,” he said. “Firstly, I didn’t have the time to go anywhere else to eat, so it was difficult for others to earn my money! On top of that, I asked a lot of myself, and my standards were very high. My children now have a lot of pressure! But, I didn’t need to earn a lot. I just wanted Tan Ser Seng to thrive.”

Claypot turtle soup (Photo: Tan Ser Seng)

He made sure to study what customers wanted, adding more herbs to what was originally a very clean and clear broth, to keep up with changing tastes. Other soups were added to the menu, like ginseng black chicken soup and cordyceps chicken soup, to appeal to a wider range of customers and as a buffer against supply chain issues.

Back then, “In Singapore, there were around 30 turtle soup eateries. Because they weren’t able to innovate, many closed down. If I hadn’t kept improving on my father’s recipe, I don’t think we would have lasted this long,” Khar Seng mused.

The journey wasn’t without its challenges. In 2000, at the peak of Tan Ser Seng’s success, Khar Seng found himself facing the prospect of having to wind up the business.

His knees, pushed to their limits for decades, began to give out. “I called up my older sister and asked if her son wanted to take over, as the doctor had told me I needed rest.”

But, his wife overheard the conversation.

Vivian recalled: “My mum called me, crying. She said, ‘Your dad wants to retire and sell the business’. I was 24 or 25; Allan was about 10.”

(Photo: Tan Ser Seng)

At the time, Vivian was two years into a fledgling career as a regional sales engineer, hoping to forge her own path away from the family business. “I had been helping out since I was young.” As a student, “I even had to take showers at the hawker centre before school, using my own pail.” She worked hard and graduated with a degree in mechanical engineering.

But when she heard her mother crying on the phone, “I said, ‘I think I have no choice but to help out’.”

After all, “My parents made sacrifices for us. So, we want to pay in kind. I’m trying to make sure that they can retire well,” she said, her eyes moistening.

She and her husband, Derrick Lee, both joined the business. It wasn’t easy. “There were no recipes,” she recalled, and the task fell to her to replicate the dishes and document the steps from watching her father cook.

Allan Tan, Tan Khar Seng, Vivian Tan and Derrick Lee. (Photo: Tan Ser Seng)

A decade or so later, Allan graduated from school and saw that his sister and brother-in-law needed his support.

With his perspective as a millennial, he has been able to improve customer service, introduce AI processes to help with standard operating procedures and administrative tasks, and get the business onto social media and delivery platforms.

Still, it wasn’t without some resistance from his father. “We would all quarrel often” over issues like how they should improve the dishes, Khar Seng chuckled.

“All three of us belong to different generations and have different tastes,” Allan explained. “We had to find common ground.”

“I told Allan, since you’ve joined, you have to follow my way, which is, no slacking off or taking the easy route,” Khar Seng said.

Tan Khar Seng (left) and Allan Tan. (Photo: CNA/Kelvin Chia)

But, communication was sometimes an issue. One thing that would frustrate Allan was that when he asked his father for instructions, his father "would say, ‘Just use your heart’. For example, if he gave feedback on a dish, we would ask what he wanted us to change, and he’d say, ‘Use your heart’. Vivian and I are engineers. Just give us the steps, from one to 10!

“But I’ve grown and I now understand what he meant. I really believe that if you put your heart to it, you’ll figure out the steps and processes on your own.”

Allan’s hope is to make a significant contribution to the business. “My grandparents and parents have already fulfilled goals for Tan Ser Seng. I didn’t want to take over for the sake of taking over. I want my own story to continue on, maybe even to the next generation,” he said.

An outlet is a way of exploring how potential for the business might be fulfilled, while fighting for his family’s legacy by challenging associations around a traditional dish like turtle soup and “what is right to eat, what is normal to eat”.

A new range of dishes, inspired by his mother’s homestyle cooking, aims to entice first-time diners to the restaurant while paying tribute to their family’s heritage. These include Teochew-style steamed fish with black olive and preserved mustard greens, and sweet and sour pork made with persimmon as an homage to their grandfather, who was named for the persimmon fruit. Vivian has also taken a course in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), so future dishes could reflect TCM wellness principles.

Steamed Seabass with Teochew Olive Vegetable (Photo: Tan Ser Seng)

Before Allan joined the business, “I had told myself that there would be no progression,” Vivian said. “He pushes us out of our comfort zone. He brings new ideas and gives us the confidence to do things differently.”

Vivian has a 13-year-old daughter, and “I’ve already told her that next year, she has to come and work here part time during her holidays. I think she’s proud of us.” And, “I also hope that Allan gets married soon and has children. He said he would get married after opening a second outlet!”

For now, it hasn’t escaped her that “it is a blessing” to be “working together as a family, and also as partners”.

“Can you put it out there that I want to tell my dad that I’m very grateful for his guidance?” she asked.

“What’s there to thank me for?” her father replied. “We’re all one family. Let’s just do it well.”

Tan Ser Seng is at Great World, #B1-106/107, 1 Kim Seng Promenade, Singapore 237994 and 29 Lorong Bachok, Singapore 387791.

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八十年前，他们的祖父开始用竹竿架起锅来售卖药材汤。如今，陈世成（Tan Ser Seng）的第三代传人即将开设他们的第一家分店，选址在一家购物中心。他们希望在秉承父亲严苛标准的同时，赢得新一代顾客的青睐。

陈世成第二代掌门人陈卡成携子女艾伦和薇薇安在位于伟乐坊的新店前合影。（图片：CNA/Kelvin Chia）

这段音频由人工智能工具生成。

35岁的艾伦·谭和49岁的姐姐薇薇安都从未想过自己会继承祖父创立的药膳汤生意。小时候，他们就在摊位上帮忙，看着父母每天凌晨两点起床，开始费力地熬制汤品，只有在春节期间才会休息一天。

“我一直告诉自己，我必须在学习上取得好成绩，因为我不想接管家族生意，”薇薇安回忆道。

但是，到了最后关头，“有些纽带是无法打破的”。

就这样，拥有80年历史、以传统熬制汤品闻名的陈世成品牌，如今已传承至家族第三代。值此里程碑式的周年纪念之际，艾伦牵头开设了除原有餐厅外的首家分店——而且这家分店还位于一家购物中心内。

在 Great World，他们的新餐厅内部灯光明亮，摆放着陶瓷餐具和电子显示屏——这与他们在芽笼的餐厅的老式氛围截然不同。

（图片：CNA/Kelvin Chia）

该品牌深受几代食客和中国游客的喜爱，但他们也希望吸引更多年轻的本地顾客。

负责管理这家餐厅的艾伦不仅要带领这个历史悠久的品牌走向未来，还要说服那些不愿尝试新奇菜肴的食客，让他们相信陈世成著名的龟汤——这道最初只出现在中国皇帝宴席上的美食——蕴含着值得传承的文化遗产。他表示，很多人对龟汤的抵触情绪源于误解，例如，有人认为龟汤是用野生海龟熬制的，而实际上，餐厅只选用符合认证标准的特定淡水龟品种进行养殖。

不过，这对兄妹面临的最大挑战或许是确保所烹制的菜肴能够达到他们 75 岁的父亲 Tan Khar Seng 的严格标准。

“我父亲觉得自己是米其林星级厨师，”负责厨房运营和研发的薇薇安打趣道，“烹饪菜肴的方式，每种食材的用量，都必须非常讲究。他对摆盘也很讲究，而且会检查每一块肉。”

这很可能是这家家族企业能够走过 80 年并继续发展壮大的一个重要原因。

从街边摊到正规餐馆

Tan Ser Seng 供应各种草药汤。 （照片：陈斯盛）

这一切都始于创始人陈亚赛。1927年，他幼年时随父母从中国潮汕地区移民新加坡。起初，他在市场卖鱼，后来在一家公司食堂找到一份做饭的工作。在那里，他遇到了后来成为他妻子的同事，卡尔·森告诉我们。

阿赛热爱烹饪，甚至会自己创作菜肴，并在失败中不断学习进步。他的潮州菜广受欢迎，甚至成了邻里婚礼的御用餐饮承办人。

1946年，他开始在街头摆摊卖药材龟汤。他和妻子肩扛竹竿，上面放着两大锅汤，从家走到两公里外的泰盛巷，那里有很多工人渴望喝上一碗热腾腾的滋补汤。生意不错，他们最终买了一辆手推车，并在车旁摆了四个木凳，供路边的顾客享用。

卡尔·森回忆说，那时候一碗汤要20或30美分。

全家人都得帮忙。十岁的卡尔·森每天凌晨两点就开始工作，从准备汤到推着比他“高好几倍”的手推车，什么都得做。

陈家全家福：从右数第三个是陈嘉生，他的父亲陈亚赛是右边第一位成年人。（摄影：陈艾伦）

1973年阿赛去世后，接管家族企业的重任落在了22岁的卡尔森身上。“我父亲去世前告诉我，‘你一定要好好干。’压力很大，因为全家人都指望着我呢。”

他们的第一家实体店开在麦弗逊街。如果你感到困惑，是因为那里有一家名为“Ser Seng”的老字号龟汤店，那是Khar Seng的弟弟开的。

1986 年，Khar Seng 决定单干，多年来搬迁到几个不同的地方，包括 Mattar Road 和 Old Airport Road，最终于 1992 年在芽笼的餐馆安顿下来，此后 Tan Ser Seng 一直为一代又一代的顾客服务。

陈斯成的芽笼餐馆（照片：陈斯成）

在保留父亲秘方精髓的同时，卡尔森也进行了一些创新，这些创新深受顾客喜爱。例如，其他龟汤摊贩会在汤里配上炸米粉，而他则决定搭配潮州芋头饭——这道菜是他们家聚会和庆祝活动中经常做的。

上世纪80年代，他在观看一档介绍日本火锅的综艺节目时，受到启发，开始用沸腾的砂锅盛装汤品。他解释说，当时他的店很受来自日本和韩国的顾客欢迎，他们都是新加坡蓬勃发展的建筑业的建筑顾问。

卡尔森对生意极其投入，每天都要喝自己熬的汤。“我一天三顿都只吃汤，”他说。“首先，我根本没时间去别的地方吃饭，所以别人很难挣到我的钱！除此之外，我对自己的要求也很高，标准非常严格。现在我的孩子们压力很大！不过，我并不需要赚很多钱。我只是希望陈世成能发展壮大。”

瓦煲甲鱼汤（照片：Tan Ser Seng）

他仔细研究顾客的需求，在原本清澈鲜美的汤底中添加了更多香料，以迎合不断变化的口味。菜单上还增加了人参黑鸡汤和虫草鸡汤等其他汤品，旨在吸引更多顾客，并缓解供应链问题。

“那时候，新加坡大约有30家龟汤店。因为他们不会创新，很多都倒闭了。如果我没有不断改进我父亲的配方，我想我们不可能坚持这么久，”卡尔·森回忆道。

这段历程并非一帆风顺。2000年，正值陈世成事业的巅峰时期，卡尔·森却面临着不得不结束公司运营的局面。

他的膝盖几十年来一直处于极限状态，开始出现问题。“我打电话给我姐姐，问她儿子是否愿意接替我，因为医生告诉我需要休息。”

但是，他的妻子无意中听到了他们的谈话。

薇薇安回忆道：“我妈妈哭着给我打电话。她说，‘你爸爸想退休，把生意卖掉’。我当时24、25岁；艾伦大概10岁。”

（图片：陈思成）

当时，薇薇安刚入行两年，担任区域销售工程师，希望能够走出家族企业，开创属于自己的道路。“我从小就帮家里干活。”学生时代，“我甚至得在上学前去小贩中心洗澡，用自己的水桶。”她努力学习，最终获得了机械工程学位。

但当她听到母亲在电话里哭泣时，“我说，‘我想我别无选择，只能帮忙了’。”

毕竟，“我的父母为我们做出了牺牲。所以，我们也想回报他们。我努力确保他们能安享晚年，”她说着，眼眶湿润了。

她和丈夫德里克·李都加入了这家餐厅。这并不容易。“当时没有任何食谱，”她回忆说，于是她只能靠观察父亲做饭，把菜肴复刻出来，并记录下烹饪步骤。

艾伦·陈 (Allan Tan)、陈卡盛 (Tan Khar Seng)、陈薇薇 (Vivian Tan) 和德里克·李 (Derrick Lee)。 （照片：陈斯盛）

大约十年后，艾伦从学校毕业，发现他的姐姐和姐夫需要他的支持。

凭借千禧一代的视角，他能够改善客户服务，引入人工智能流程来帮助处理标准操作程序和行政任务，并将业务拓展到社交媒体和配送平台。

不过，他父亲对此并非毫无反对之意。“我们经常会因为诸如如何改进菜肴之类的问题争吵，”卡尔·森笑着说。

“我们三个属于不同年代，品味也不同，”艾伦解释说。“我们必须找到共同点。”

“我告诉艾伦，既然你加入了，就必须按照我的方式去做，那就是不能偷懒，也不能走捷径，”卡尔·森说道。

陈卡盛（左）和陈艾伦。 （照片：CNA/Kelvin Chia）

但是，沟通有时确实是个问题。让艾伦感到沮丧的一件事是，当他向父亲请教时，父亲总是说“凭感觉去做”。例如，如果他对一道菜提出意见，我们问他想让我们改什么，他却说“凭感觉去做”。薇薇安和我都是工程师，直接告诉我们步骤就行了，从1到10！

“但我成长了，现在我明白他的意思了。我真的相信，只要你全心投入，你就能自己找到方法和途径。”

艾伦希望为公司做出重大贡献。“我的祖父母和父母已经为陈世成实现了他们的目标。我不想为了接管而接管。我希望我的故事能够延续下去，甚至传承给下一代，”他说。

出口是一种探索如何实现企业潜力的方式，同时通过挑战与龟汤等传统菜肴相关的观念以及“什么是正确的食物，什么才是正常的食物”来捍卫家族的遗产。

受母亲家常菜的启发，餐厅推出了一系列新菜品，旨在吸引新顾客，同时致敬家族传统。这些菜品包括潮州风味黑橄榄芥菜蒸鱼，以及柿子糖醋里脊——以此纪念祖父，祖父的名字正是来源于柿子。Vivian 还学习过中医，因此未来的菜品或许会融入中医养生理念。

潮州橄榄蔬菜清蒸鲈鱼（照片：陈思成）

在艾伦加入公司之前，“我曾告诉自己公司不会有任何进步，”薇薇安说。“他让我们走出舒适区。他带来了新的想法，并给予我们尝试不同做法的信心。”

薇薇安有个13岁的女儿，“我已经告诉她，明年假期她要来这里做兼职。我觉得她会为我们感到骄傲。”她还说，“我也希望艾伦早点结婚生子。他说过要等第二家分店开好之后再结婚！”

目前，她仍然意识到“能够像家人一样一起工作，又像合作伙伴一样一起工作，是一种福气”。

“你能帮我转达一下我想对爸爸说的话吗？我非常感谢他的指导。”她问道。

“有什么值得感谢我的？”她父亲回答说，“我们都是一家人。咱们一起努力就好。”

Tan Ser Seng 位于新加坡金声长廊 1 号 Great World 购物中心 B1-106/107 号，邮编 237994 和新加坡巴卓巷 29 号，邮编 387791。

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