Singapore football star Hassan Sunny delves into F&B industry with Dapur Hassan

He is widely regarded as the man with the safest pair of hands in Singapore football. Now, Singapore goalkeeper Hassan Sunny is hoping that same pair of hands will help him become equally successful off the pitch. 

The 36-year-old started his own nasi padang stall, Dapur Hassan, in October. He’s always wanted to have a food stall he could call his own since young, after seeing his relatives own a number of food and beverage outlets. 

The opportunity to open a F&B outlet of his own arose as a number of stalls in Singapore folded due to the COVID-19 pandemic. When he came across a stall that had the “right location and rental fees”, he decided it was time to fulfill one of his life goals.

While it may feel like an impulse decision, it couldn’t be further from the truth. The business, which means Hassan’s Kitchen in English, is actually run by his entire family. 

“This may be my own business, but thankfully I have my whole family who are also part of this small business, including my mother-in-law who is the chef,” Hassan shared. 

His elder sister makes the kueh, while his younger sister runs the social media accounts for the stall. His brother-in-law serves food and makes the food delivery when needed, while his wife manages the shop while he is busy with training or matches.

Located in Tampines near his home, Dapur Hassan has seen a steady flow of customers since its opening. 

The best sellers at the stall are the lontong and mee rebus. Hassan added the fish asam pedas and chicken lemak chili padi nasi padang dishes are quite popular too. 

Setting up of the business was not as challenging as he imagined it to be, Hassan shared. 

“The stall setup took six weeks to be exact and while there were hiccups along the way, I’m glad everything is going well now,” he said. 

While his new F&B venture has kept him busy, Hassan’s priority is still on the pitch as he continues to star for the Lion City Sailors in the Singapore Premier League. He is still not entertaining thoughts of retirement just yet, although Dapur Hassan is part of his plans to take care of himself when he eventually hangs up his boots. 

“Footballers have a short career so you really need a back-up plan,” said Hassan, who has earned 85 caps for the Singapore National Team. 

“Although I’m not really thinking about retirement yet, it’s really important for athletes to think about life after sports and hopefully everything falls into place for me.”

When asked if there were any plans for expansion, Hassan admitted he is relatively new to the F&B scene and simply wants to pick up as much as he can.  

“Expanding? Not anytime soon,” he said. 

“I still have a lot to learn in this F&B business but I will definitely start to think of that when I’m ready in time to come.”

Dapur Hassan is also available for delivery. To find out more, click here.