Aaron Yeo wants to make wagyu more accessible through his venture Waa Cow!—the first restaurant to serve flame-torched wagyu donburis in Singapore.
“Wagyu was mostly reserved for very high-end restaurants and commanded a hefty price. As a child, beef was not something we would eat often. It was served only at celebrations. I guess this idea stuck with me and I wanted to start a perpetual celebration of sorts,” says the 34-year-old.
His “perpetual celebration” started in 2016 in NUS U-Town, where he launched his first outlet. A year later, the business found a secoond home in the Central Business District. WaaCow! is now on its sixth outlet.
When asked about the success of Waa Cow!, Yeo humbly attributes it to two factors: products and people.
“We never expand unless the latest outlet has a team of competent individuals who can deliver according to our expected quality standards.”
Aaron Yeo takes pride in delivering quality products and services
People, the second factor, comprises not only his team but also Waa Cow!’s customers. Yeo emphasises the importance of listening to both parties closely to take the business further.
Such two-way conversations also help the brand stay relevant. However, instead of trying to reinvent the wheel, Yeo reckons it’s more important to appeal to his customers who want value and comfort. “Relevance, does not mean new, novel or trendy. The wheel is as relevant today as it was over 5,000 years ago. While we adopt innovation and are willing to embrace change, we do so with a critical mind—and with a heavy reliance on input from our customers.”
Customers are king, but his team is equally important. Yeo and his wife Diana, with whom he runs the business, rely on their management team—some of whom have been with Waa Cow! since day one—to shed light on things the entrepreneurial couple may not be familiar with.
He says, “I think having the humility to understand that, as founders, we do not have the answers to every question, and sometimes we do not even have the right questions to begin with… is extremely important to the success of every business.”
Humility is also at the forefront of his advice for aspiring F&B entrepreneurs. He emphasises the importance of having the passion to serve. “You must take joy in bringing a smile to others, both customers and staff alike. In many ways, this is a business of the heart, a business of the people.”
He adds, “At the end of the day, what you are selling is not just food, calories or nutrition. You are also selling satisfaction, smiles, and kinship among your diners. Likewise, the people you lead are not robots on a production line. Taking care of them requires compassion and care. I believe that if your team has positive energy, it will translate into your food and, ultimately, positively influence your customers as well.”
Yeo acknowledges that success isn’t a singular achievement. “What has helped me is the knowledge that my team is behind me every step of the way. Additionally, having customers who have become friends also helps as they provide a very non-biased view of some of the decisions we want to make.”
Photographer: Mun Kong
Photographer’s assistant: Hizuan Zailani
Videographer: Alicia Chong
Producer: Adora Wong
Styling: Chia Wei Choong
Makeup: Keith Bryant Lee using Bobbi Browbn
Hair: Christvian Goh using Keune Haircosmetics
