SINGAPORE – It was November 2024, and Mr Leong Xuhui was manning a stall at a pasar malam near Khatib MRT station, selling his signature loaded potatoes, when he accidentally spilled sauce on a customer.
Her blouse was expensive, and the Ngee Ann Polytechnic (NP) business student was duly horrified.
The now 20-year-old had just set up his start-up, Spudzilla, and that was one of his first pop-up stalls.
“I was so apologetic and offered her a tissue. I wished it had never happened,” he said.
Mr Leong, who has recently graduated from NP, said the experience taught him to be more mindful, especially since that customer turned out to be a social media influencer.
Thankfully, she gave him a good review in a TikTok video regardless.
Since Mr Leong started his business in November 2024, Spudzilla has been setting up pop-up stalls at various pasar malams around Singapore, to the tune of 20 to 25 stalls a year.
Spudzilla recently had a stall at Jurong West Block 501 till May 3, and is currently running a stall near Woodlands MRT station till May 10.
Recently, the company also set up a stall at a temporary bazaar within NP – the place where its founder got his idea from.
Mr Leong’s love of potatoes took root when he tried his friend’s mother’s baked potatoes in secondary school. Back then, not many businesses sold potatoes as a main dish, and he was inspired to set up a food business using potatoes as the main ingredient.
In 2024, he took part in NP’s Be Your Own Boss competition. This initiative supports new start-ups in the school, and gives winners a space on campus to set up their stall for two years, as well as a $5,000 grant from the school’s Kickstart Fund.
As part of the competition, Mr Leong had to write an 80-page proposal detailing the menu and breaking down the cost of the items; he also had to prepare various dishes for the judges to try.
He did not win the competition, but the proposal he wrote formed the foundation of Spudzilla. He then slightly refined his business concept, coming up with a “build your own spud” concept that allows customers to customise the ingredients of their loaded potatoes.
Mr Leong Xuhui started Spudzilla in 2024, selling loaded potatoes at pop-up stalls at various pasar malams and events.
ST PHOTO: NG SOR LUAN
He also coined the name Spudzilla, using the words “spud”, a British slang word for potatoes, and “godzilla”, a giant monster, for the large portion he serves.
A standard base of loaded potatoes costs $4.50, and there are more than 30 toppings and sauces available as add-ons.
He used about $20,000 from his personal investments to start the business. His family was supportive and his younger brother was his first worker, helping out with operations.
While he was coming up with a recipe for his potatoes that could be replicated, Mr Leong would conduct a taste test each time he cooked a batch of ingredients. There were numerous occasions when batches of food had to be discarded for being too salty.
As a budding entrepreneur, he initially found it challenging to juggle running a business and being a poly student, but he wanted to get a head start.
“I wanted to start a business while still at school because I feel that the earlier the start, the better,” he added.
He tries to be at the stall as much as possible, but also hires part-time staff to help out. Most of them are his customers (who are generally under 20 years old), recruited through social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram.
He recalled: “In my first month, it was hard for me to handle. My ground staff needed me, and I had school assignments due. So I worked half the day, and rushed my assignments for the second half.”
With a “passion to feed people and make them happy”, Mr Leong pressed on despite the long working hours. There were times when the revenue he received was low, and he had to eat into the profits of the better months.
A standard base of loaded potatoes costs $4.50, and there are more than 30 toppings and sauces available as add-ons.
ST PHOTO: NG SOR LUAN
Eventually, as the business progressed, he spent less time on the front line and now mainly deals with behind-the-scenes operations such as finance and quality control.
Currently, Mr Leong has a monthly revenue of around $40,000, and makes a four-figure sum in net profit.
As a small business owner, Mr Leong believes that marketing is crucial, especially since there are numerous stalls at pasar malams. He taps social media trends to increase reach, such as posting videos on TikTok with trending audio tracks.
Marketing and branding are concepts that Mr Leong has picked up from his business studies course.
“Branding is what the customer sees and remembers about you. So it’s important that they can link your food to your brand,” he said. For Spudzilla’s signboard, he sought help from his friend, a fellow student at NP pursuing a diploma in mass communication.
Mr Leong is looking to establish a permanent stall in a shopping mall, though he acknowledges that it may be challenging, especially when competing with bigger brands.