Yun Nans is one of Singapore’s favourite Chinese restaurant chains. Here’s how former investment banker Reuben Chua made it the success it is today
How I’m Making It is a weekly series in which Tatler speaks to influential individuals about their unique journeys and what keeps them going.
Just four years ago, Reuben Chua, the chief operating officer of Chinese restaurant chain Yun Nans, was enjoying an illustrious career as an investment banker at some of the world’s biggest banks. When he made the decision to leave that life to pursue his childhood dream of opening a restaurant, no one could predict the way it would take off.
With four outlets island-wide and an almost cult-like following, Chua opens up about how it all started.
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“Growing up, I had relatives who ran restaurants and so I grew up helping in the kitchen and it was just something that was part of me. So I really was always very interested in food,” Chua explained when asked if food was always his passion.
However, a desire to explore being an entrepreneur led him to decide to pursue a degree in banking and finance at the University of London.
While Chua did want to start a business in the food and beverage industry upon graduation, he decided to first gain exposure and knowledge by pursuing banking, his chosen field at that time.
He began as a relationship manager in United Overseas Bank Limited (UOB) in 2009 before moving to OCBC Bank. When he made the decision to return to UOB in 2014, it was as assistant vice president.
After spending a year in this position, Chua was given the opportunity to move to Shanghai as the senior manager at JLL, a professional services firm that specializes in real estate and investment management. It was there that Chua started rethinking his career.