Some of you may be familiar with Hopscotch and Cherki—but ever wondered about the people behind them? Meet your fellow alumnus Roger Yip (BAcc 2017), who aside from Hopscotch and Cherki, also runs mobile bar Mixes from Mars and digital marketing agency Story Box Collective. We caught up with him recently to find out what he’s been up to.
Share with us about your time in SMU
I consider myself a rather wild and socially active kid and those four years in SMU were epic. They were probably some of the greatest years I have had in my life so far. I had lots of fun and made many friends that I continue to see regularly to this day.
Among the many fond memories of SMU, are the overseas trips we went on; the various school events such as Waikiki, Starry Nights, and the Stereometa parties which my clique frequented; camping overnight at SMU Labs to complete projects and mug; spending the evenings getting all philosophical over at Ice Cold Beer.
It was the environment and the people around which fostered the whole educational journey into such a wholesome and fulfilling one.
What are you busy with these days?
We are planning to open another Hopscotch outlet! The location still remains a secret, but it will be somewhere everyone knows.
How did you get into the Food and Beverage industry?
It all began in 2013. My friend and I were invited to bartend at a private party to serve our bespoke cocktails. Following that event, we received more invitations to bartend at private parties and corporate functions; this led to the creation of Mixes from Mars, a mobile bar that serves up avant garde cocktails.
Over the years, I continued exploring other viable opportunities within the F&B industry, so when the chance came in 2014, I took a gap year and started Hopscotch (then located at Red Dot) with several former colleagues from Bar Stories (another F&B venture which has since closed). In 2018, we relocated to Gillman Barracks and at the beginning of 2021, opened our second outlet at Capitol Theatre.
Another F&B venture that was launched in mid-2021, Cherki, was born out of my passion for Peranakan cuisine. Cherki currently operates at the Singapore Chinese Cultural Centre.
You must be quite busy with all the businesses you are running – what kind of challenges did you face?
Expanding from one to two F&B outlets and having to groom and trust the next line of managers were shifts I found difficult at first since we were always actively involved in the first outlet. That said, I suppose learning to let go a little is also a great thing because as leaders, we need to allow others to grow, otherwise they may lose their drive and have nothing much to strive for.
Seeing as how you have been running mostly F&B businesses, the COVID-19 pandemic must have been a difficult time. How did this affect your businesses and more importantly, how did you overcome the issues caused by roadblocks like the Circuit Breaker?
Being in the F&B and Events industry, the COVID-19 pandemic has certainly impacted our business significantly. We saw revenues drop to 5% of what we were getting pre-pandemic following Singapore's Circuit Breaker in 2020.
In 2020, we knew we had to cut costs while also retain our staff. At the start of the Circuit Breaker, we told everyone (including those holding managerial ranks) that we had to suspend the business.
Several of us found miscellaneous part-time jobs to tide us over. Some staff took on courier jobs and worked at warehouses while others, like myself, worked at a server assembly line assembling more than 100 servers a day.
Around mid-May 2020, we launched and operated our cocktail and food delivery service for a month before we reopened the physical bistro in June 2020. 2021 was a little different as by then we had three F&B outlets, and a lot more staff to manage.
This time round, instead of suspending our businesses, we took a 10% pay cut and reduced the working hours by 10%. We focused on areas like research and development and improved housekeeping practices at the various outlets.
I’m sure you and your team must have been through a lot, and hopefully things will start to get better this year onwards. On that note, what are your goals/aspirations for the future?
To open more restaurants with different dining concepts! I was inspired to set this goal from ‘Itaewon Class’, a Korean drama that I watched during the Circuit Breaker. It depicted the story of a driven self-starter who, despite the challenges that he encountered, successfully built a chain of food eateries from scratch.
As an SMU alumnus, how would you evaluate SMU’s contribution to your current achievements?
SMU equips her students with more than just academic rigour. The school provided an environment which promoted the cultivation of soft skills and meaningful connections. Even today, I still apply much of what I’ve learnt in school to my business.
As an accountancy graduate, the responsibility of preparing the financial accounts, financial reporting, and taxes falls on me. Other general business modules such as business and company law, managing people at work, as well as leadership and team building, continue to be essential when relating to my colleagues.
Even a more general module such as Creative Thinking has helped me a lot in innovating our new drinks. Most importantly, I have made many friends at SMU, many of whom have been supporting me throughout the years, both emotionally and mentally.
There are times when you just need someone to confide in or receive the assurance that you are making the right decisions. Furthermore, these people have given me many opportunities through their own connections and visited with friends and family to support my business. Thanks to them and to SMU, I wouldn't be where I am today without them.
Any quotes/principles/tenets you live by?
Everyone says this, but I really believe in living life to the fullest! Rather than chasing wealth, I pursue unique life experiences, since wealth won't follow me to the grave anyway. And fortunately for me, having food and drinks with great company doesn’t have to cost a fortune.
Connect with Roger on LinkedIn.
For the uninitiated, you can find Hopscotch located at Gillman Barracks and Capitol Theatre; and Cherki (a modern Peranakan restaurant) at the Singapore Chinese Cultural Centre. Go on down to check out their delish offerings. Make sure to flash your SMU Digital Alumni Card to enjoy a 10% discount* off all regular-priced items!
(*This promotion is valid from 1 July 2022 to 31 July 2023)