If your daily routine involves scrolling through TikTok for countless hours like me, then you must have come across Caffe Pralet’s square shaped doughnuts on your feed at some point.
Their doughnuts were first launched back in 2023, but it wasn’t until last year that they skyrocketed to fame, thanks to a TikTok reel by one of their customers.
The hype grew so intense that customers even faced two-day waiting times for online orders, with queues snaking outside the cafe at its peak.
Apart from their viral doughnuts, the space also draws a crowd for their loaded sandwiches—however, Caffe Pralet was originally known for their cakes, pastries, and dishes.
The cafe, which has been around for 19 years, saw its business pick up after a revamp and has since turned into a popular hipster hangout in Singapore.
“We never actually had a USP”
When Vulcan Post first spoke to Caffe Pralet, the business was helmed by Timothy Chia, 32, and his brother-in-law Jeremy Ang, 36.
The cafe was opened in 2006 by Timothy’s mother Judy Koh, but the pair took over her business in hopes of continuing her legacy.
However, as the cafe offered a wide range of products, it struggled to establish a unique selling point (USP) and stand out in Singapore’s competitive F&B scene.
[Caffe Pralet] has always done a tonne of different things throughout our years, from selling customised cakes for weddings, to catering, baked goods, and even curry chicken and rice bowls—the list goes on.You name it, Caffe Pralet has done it. We never actually had a USP because we were doing everything.
Timothy Chia
A pivot to simplicity
Shortly after the interview in 2018, Timothy took a break from the family business and went to Mexico, where he spent a year and a half hosting private dining events, pop-ups, and culinary classes.
However, he returned to Singapore due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It was during this time that he decided to rejoin the family business and help out with Caffe Pralet’s deliveries.
Seeing his mother struggle to keep the business afloat and make it through the pandemic, Timothy decided to step up and propose a new business idea, determined to redefine Caffe Pralet’s direction.
“I couldn’t just leave her and the business that she [built] with her sweat and tears. I had to try all over once again, but this time, with a different, fresh mindset,” Timothy said.
Drawing from his experiences in Mexico, Timothy crafted a business idea centred on simplicity—to create a streamlined menu with limited yet thoughtfully curated options.
Back in Mexico, I ate at a lot of taquerias, and they were always packed with people. Besides the fact that the Mexicans, of course, love their tacos, it became clear to me that the reason why there were always a lot of people was because of the limit in choices.
If it was a pork taqueria, they would serve everything pork. If it was a chicken place, they would serve everything chicken, and if it was a beef place… you can guess what they were selling.
Timothy Chia
Another strategy he implemented was to ensure that the business was scalable and had strong SOPs in place.
By studying successful quick-service restaurants in Singapore such as Subway, Guzman Y Gomez, and McDonald’s, he recognised that these factors were crucial to their ability to grow and expand across the city-state.
Hence, Timothy decided that Caffe Pralet would pivot into a deli specialising in just two items: doughnuts and sandwiches.
Regulars wanted the old menu back
But pivoting a business is never easy. Looking back, Timothy shared that the reception “wasn’t really great” when they first relaunched.
“Our regular customers came back looking for the old menu, for our rice bowls and pasta, but we had promotions going on trying to encourage them to try the new menu.”
While some enjoyed the new sandwiches, most of their regulars, particularly office workers, still craved “heavier” meals.
However, the cafe soon started attracting a different crowd of customers—expats. “Tiong Bahru has become an expat-rich place and a bulk of them are ‘sandwich people’,” said Timothy.
Though we lost part of the rice- and pasta-loving people, we gained a new market of customers, which was great because these were the neighbours living around us. [This] also equated to them coming by more often.
Timothy Chia
Increasing production tenfold
After going viral, Caffe Pralet gained widespread recognition, driving significant growth for the business.
“We couldn’t even sell 40 doughnuts a day, and suddenly, we had to [increase] our production [tenfold],” Timothy shared.
To manage the quick sell-outs, Caffe Pralet encouraged customers to pre-order their doughnuts, ensuring they wouldn’t leave disappointed.
“Besides that, we announced that we had two different fry-times so customers knew when the next batch would be out,” he added.
As demand continued to grow, Caffe Pralet brought in additional staff and expanded the cafe’s production capacity to keep up.
Timothy also shared that the cafe is set to receive their first automatic doughnut fryer soon, a move aimed at further boosting productivity and meeting customer demand more efficiently.
“I don’t want Caffe Pralet to be just a viral trend”
Today, Timothy manages the deli alongside his mother, while Jeremy, who left for family reasons, continues to offer business advice to him.
Timothy revealed that Caffe Pralet is currently “experiencing consistent revenue growth,” but his vision extends beyond short-term success.
I don’t want Caffe Pralet to be just a viral trend. I want the brand to be everlasting—a brand people are familiar with, and a brand that has always maintained its quality and standards.
Timothy Chia
As part of this vision, the cafe is actively working to expand its production capacity and team to support its continued growth.
Back in 2018, the cafe unveiled plans to launch a wholesale and supply arm, however, this initiative still remains a work in progress.
Caffe Pralet also aims to expand internationally. While they previously operated an outlet in Jakarta, the business was heavily impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, resulting in its closure.
Now, their sights are set on Thailand and China, although Timothy remains tight-lipped about the specifics of these plans.
- Learn more about Caffe Pralet here.
- Read more articles we’ve written about Singaporeans startups here.
Feature Image Credit: Caffe Pralet
