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Andrew Tjioe (Singapore Businessman)

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Andrew Tjioe Ka Men (born 15 July 1958)[1][2] is the President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Tung Lok Group of restaurants. As of October 2020, he oversees over 15 restaurant brands across six countries.[3] With over three decades of experience in the food and beverage industry, Andrew Tjioe is also the President Adviser of the Restaurant Association of Singapore (RAS) and a board member of the SHATEC Institute, among other leadership appointments.

Andrew Tjioe
Andrew Tjioe profile.jpg
Born15 July 1958
EducationBachelor of Business Administration
Alma materOklahoma State University

Background

Early life & family

 
Andrew Tjioe (third from right) with his family. Screengrab from YouTube.

Andrew Tjioe was born in 1958 to parents who had migrated from Fujian, China to Indonesia.[4] His late father was the teacher-turned-businessman, Zhou Ying Nan (Tjioe Ji Nan) who owned the Oceanic textile company.[5] The only son among five children, Andrew spent his childhood in Jakarta before relocating to Singapore with his parents and siblings in the early 1970s.[5][6][7] Speaking about his upbringing, he said:

“I was brought up in a Chinese culture and business-oriented family. My father would bring me to the bank and I would help the cashier count money! He would also share his paintings with me.”[8]

Andrew Tjioe has been a Singapore Permanent Resident since 1971.[8] As of 2020, he is married with two sons.[9] He is also an uncle to the musician, Nathan Hartono whose mother is Andrew’s second-eldest sister, Jocelyn.[10]

Education

Born in Jakarta, Andrew Tjioe received most of his primary education at an Indonesian language school.[11] Upon moving to Singapore, he was a student at Chinese High School (1971 - 1974) and Hwa Chong Junior College (1975 - 1976).[12][13] He then furthered his studies in Business Administration at Oklahoma State University in the United States of America.[4][14]

Early career

Andrew Tjioe returned to Singapore in 1980 upon completing his university studies.[5] In 1981, he joined Prima food group as a corporate planner.[4] While working at the corporation, he also helped with his family’s first restaurant business, Charming Garden. In 1983, Andrew Tjioe left his corporate job to join his family business full-time.[13] Speaking about his decision to work in the family business, he said:

“... it was seeing how my father had to handle all his business problems by himself, and I know he is tired, that made me decide to come back after my first degree to help him. Otherwise, I would have stayed on to study.”[5]

Andrew Tjioe became the Managing Director of the Charming Garden restaurants by 1984.[15]

Restaurant portfolio

 
Andrew Tjioe pictured in 2017 at a media tasting event for TungLok Signatures' new menu launch. Photo from source.

Apart from being the founder of Tung Lok restaurant, Andrew Tjioe has pioneered novel restaurant concepts such as the House of Mao (now defunct) which opened its doors in March 1998 and the Asian fusion fine-dining restaurant, Club Chinois.[13][16] Between 1984 and 1998, he opened over 10 restaurants in Singapore and Jakarta.[13] In 2001, Andrew Tjioe was named as Singapore Tourism Board (STB)’s Tourism Entrepreneur of the Year. STB said the following about the award-winner:

“He (Andrew Tjioe) is recognised for transforming a traditional Chinese restaurant business into one that offers a multi-faceted and exciting experience.”[8]

He has also received the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2005 World Gourmet Summit Awards of Excellence.[17] In 2009, it was reported that Andrew Tjioe owned 20 restaurants in Singapore including Grand Pavilion, Lingzhi Vegetarian Restaurant and Noble House, among others.[4]

Founder of Tung Lok Shark’s Fin Restaurant

Andrew Tjioe opened Tung Lok Shark’s Fin Restaurant at Liang Court in 1984 with an initial investment of over a million dollars.[4][18] Speaking to the producers of a Mediacorp Channel 8 segment, Andrew Tjioe said:

“We were not familiar with Cantonese cuisine then, especially not with shark’s fin… I visited the restaurant kitchen fairly often. I had to go there every time I made my rounds at the restaurant. I spent time with the chefs and managers discussing their problems. Gradually, I became familiar with all the different areas.”[6]

“Tung Lok” is a Cantonese phrase that translates to “happy together”. Tung Lok restaurant gained popularity in 1985 when Andrew Tjioe introduced the concept of elaborate Chinese "Imperial Banquets" to his restaurant.[19] Featuring prestigious fine-dining chefs from China, the price for a banquet table at Tung Lok reportedly cost at least S$1,000 at the time.[20][21][22] Since then, Tung Lok was associated with lavish Chinese banquets.[23] Tung Lok was a family-owned restaurant until it was listed on the Singapore Exchange in 2001.[24]

Board appointments

The following is a list of board positions that Andrew Tjioe has held over the years.

Year Organisation Role Refs.
- current Restaurant Association of Singapore (RAS) President Adviser [25]
SHATEC Institute Board Member [26]
Franchising and Licensing Association of Singapore (FLA) Vice Chairman [27]
Board of Governors – Temasek Polytechnic (TP) Member [28]
Aug 2017 - current Tung Lok Restaurants President [29]
Chief Executive Officer
Jul 2006 - Aug 2017 Executive Chairman [30]

References/ Citations

  1. ↑ The Peak Singapore. "35 seconds with Andrew Tjioe". YouTube. July 8, 2019. Accessed on 21 October 2020.
  2. ↑ "ISES Industry Forum & CSISG 2015 Q3 Results Announcement". Singapore Management University. Accessed on 21 October 2020.
  3. ↑ "Restaurants". Tung Lok. Accessed on 21 October 2020.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 Huang Lijie. "The Monday Interview with Andrew Tjioe". The Straits Times. May 4, 2009. Accessed on 21 October 2020. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 "Gratifying, seeing the children grow up". The Straits Times. June 8, 1986. Accessed on 21 October 2020. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 FLIPIN PANCAKES. "Tung Lok Story 同乐故事（家庭兵团)". YouTube. April 11, 2020. Accessed on 21 October 2020.
  7. ↑ Koh Yuen Lin. "Head to Ginza for a vibrant food scene, says TungLok chairman Andrew Tjioe". The Peak Magazine. May 15, 2015. Accessed on 21 October 2020.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Tan, Kim-kyna. "savoury win". TODAY. November 2, 2001. Accessed on 21 October 2020. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.
  9. ↑ "Food cooked with love will taste good, says Tung Lok boss". The Straits Times. December 21, 2015. Accessed on 21 October 2020.
  10. ↑ Lim, Lionel. "Jocelyn Tjioe tells us her plans for sustainable practices in Tung Lok". Prestige Online. December 14, 2018. Accessed on 21 October 2020.
  11. ↑ Tan Su Yen. "Making the right schooling choices". Business Times. October 23, 1998. Accessed on 21 October 2020. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.
  12. ↑ "OUR TEAM - President & CEO Andrew Tjioe Ka Men". Tung Lok. Accessed on 21 October 2020.
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 13.3 Tan Su Yen. "A restaurateur's restaurateur". Business Times. October 23, 1998. Accessed on 21 October 2020. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.
  14. ↑ "Oklahoma State University Yearbook, 1979". University Archives, Library, Oklahoma State University. Accessed on 21 October 2020.
  15. ↑ "Hunan food's lofty origins". The Straits Times. December 20, 1984. Accessed on 21 October 2020.
  16. ↑ "Mao on a roll and heading for London". The Business Times. May 14, 1999. Accessed on 21 October 2020. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.
  17. ↑ "Finalists For The World Gourmet Summit Awards Of Excellence 2006". Singapore Tourism Board. March 21, 2006. Accessed on 21 October 2020.
  18. ↑ Oon, Violet. "EXPENSIVE TASTE EATING". Singapore Monitor. February 5, 1984. Accessed on 21 October 2020. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.
  19. ↑ Tan, Mindy. "Creativity's part of his DNA". The Business Times. October 25, 2011. Accessed on 21 October 2020. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.
  20. ↑ "Page 3 Advertisements Column 2". Business Times. August 12, 1985. Accessed on 21 October 2020. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.
  21. ↑ "Page 1 Advertisements Column 3". The Straits Times. July 21, 1985. Accessed on 21 October 2020. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.
  22. ↑ "Ingenious dishes from top chefs". The Straits Times. August 24, 1986. Accessed on 21 October 2020.
  23. ↑ Chan, Margaret. "Touch of masters". The Straits Times. January 17, 1988. Accessed on 21 October 2020. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.
  24. ↑ "Tung Lok gets nod for Sesdaq listing". The Straits Times. February 22, 2001. Accessed on 21 October 2020. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.
  25. ↑ "RAS 19th TERM ADVISOR AND MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE 2018/2020". Restaurant Association of Singapore. Accessed on 21 October 2020.
  26. ↑ "Board of Directors". SHATEC. Accessed on 21 October 2020.
  27. ↑ "2019 EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE". Franchising and Licensing Association of Singapore. Accessed on 21 October 2020.
  28. ↑ "BOARD OF GOVERNORS". Temasek Polytechnic. Accessed on 21 October 2020.
  29. ↑ "Tjioe Ka Men "Andrew" President/CEO, Tung Lok Restaurants 2000 Ltd". Bloomberg. Accessed on 21 October 2020.
  30. ↑ "Food cooked with love will taste good, says Tung Lok boss". The Straits Times. December 21, 2015. Accessed on 21 October 2020.
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