Soi 47 shutters all outlets; ex-manager allegedly owes S$160K, jailed for labour violations

All outlets of restaurant chain Soi 47 are closed, following reports that the former owner defaulted on payments after abruptly selling the business, leaving over S$160,000 in unpaid bills.

A frozen food supplier, Haiseng Food Company, which has worked with Soi 47 since 2019, accused the company of defaulting on payments since Sept 2024, according to Shin Min Daily News.

Its ex-owner and manager, surnamed Ang, has been uncontactable since Aug 2025.

Ex-owner jailed for labour violations

According to 43-year-old He Zhenzhu, the head of Haiseng Food Company, Ang had always placed orders directly and settled payments monthly, describing their transactions as “smooth for several years.”

However, things took a turn for the worse late last year. Every time He requested payment, the restaurant chain’s financial manager allegedly refused to pay him, citing excuses such as Ang being overseas or the cheque book being unavailable.

In Dec 2024, Ang admitted that the company was having cash flow problems and asked for a grace period, promising to repay the arrears in monthly instalments of S$20,000 to S$30,000 starting that month.

He agreed on the grounds of their long-standing relationship. However, in Aug 2025, the payments suddenly stopped altogether, and He could no longer reach Ang.

After investigating, He discovered that Ang was in jail, reported Shin Min.

According to a Ministry of Manpower press release on Jun 19, a 45-year-old man, Ang Wee Ling, was sentenced to 14 months’ imprisonment for his involvement in illegal labour importation.

He was investigated for allegedly conspiring with two others to fraudulently apply for work passes through his companies, Toast Inn and Tinn3 Pte Ltd, which are both listed under Soi 47, according to the Singapore Food Agency’s track records for licensed food establishments.

“No obligation to pay others”

Shin Min said that He’s subsequent attempts to contact the Soi 47 Two’s registered director bore no fruit, as the director allegedly claimed that he was merely a “nominal figurehead” while Ang had always run daily operations.

The director, surnamed Hua (transliteration) shared that he joined the company in Apr 2025 after meeting Ang through a friend a few years back. Ang had also told him that he “needed to borrow nearly S$2 million from the bank.”

After reviewing the company’s finances, Hua saw that the business had potential and agreed to join the company. However, he later learned that Ang had been imprisoned in Jun 2025 for labour-related offences.

“It was only in Sept that I realised how deep the company’s debts ran, after other suppliers and partners started contacting me,” he said. Hua added that after checking the accounts, he found suspicious transactions and plans to report them to the police.

Moreover, Hua said that the company had four or five partners who invested in 2017, but never actually made any profit.

After contacting Hua, He had repeatedly approached the new management of Soi 47 Two to seek clarification, only to have upset the new manager, who then lodged a police report.

When contacted, the new manager of Soi 47 Two, surnamed Zhuang (transliteration), shared with Shin Min that the team only recently took over operations and was not responsible for the previous owner’s debts.

“Whoever owes the money should be held accountable,” he said. “We have no obligation to pay for others.”

Having hit a dead end, He has since filed a police report and hopes his experience will serve as a warning to other players in the food supply industry.

All outlets shut

A check on Google Maps revealed that five of Soi 47’s six outlets are listed as either temporarily or permanently closed, with only the Toa Payoh branch still listed as operational. However, according to a Mothership report, the Toa Payoh outlet is also closed.

Vulcan Post has reached out to Soi 47 for further comment via email and their business phone number, but has not received any reply.

Featured Image Credit: Jocelin Lam via Google Reviews / Soi 47