Heritage Trails :: Ang Mo Kio Trail :: Botak Jones

Though Botak Jones' first stall, opened in 2003, was located in Tuas, it was in Ang Mo Kio that the chain made its first foray into Singapore's heartlands. Armed with the vision to provide handmade, reasonably-priced Western food, Mr Bernie Utchenik, an American, and his Singaporean wife, Zee, opened Botak Jones at a coffee shop at Block 608 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 5 in 2006.

As word spread, the business became a roaring success. Even though prices were higher compared to other Western food stalls in food courts and hawker centres, the quality of the food kept customers coming, even older Chinese residents, for whom Botak Jones came up with a menu in Chinese. The sight of Bernie Utchenik working at the grill became familiar to Ang Mo Kio residents and they would flip a thumbs-up at him when they passed by.

Leveraging on their experience gained in Ang Mo Kio, Mr Utchenik went on to open more Botak Jones stalls in other neighbourhoods. Three years after it started at Ang Mo Kio, Botak Jones had to move out of Block 608 due to a change in strategy by the coffee shop owner. Today, Botak Jones continues to serve up huge portions of Western food at Block 531 along Ang Mo Kio Avenue 10.