University dropout builds tonkatsu stall chain

Wijaya: I would rather have five profitable stalls than 13 and lose money. — Photo: The Straits Times

WHEN August Wijaya opened Maruhachi in Punggol in Singapore in November 2020, sceptics doubted a stall selling S$9.80 katsu don would survive in a coffee shop.

Tonkatsu, after all, was a Japanese restaurant dish, far removed from the affordable chicken rice and noodles in the heartland.