1940

Mr Yu Beng Chew, in his late 30s, decided to pack his bags in search of a better life and came to Singapore, the new land of opportunities. Little did he expect that the Japanese Occupation of Singapore in World War II would bring severe hardship but Beng Chew was determined to provide for his wife and children.

余炳钊先生，在三十多岁的时候，为了寻找更好的生活，来到了充满生机的新加坡。他没想到第二次世界大战中，日本占领新加坡会让日子更难过。但他不管日子再苦，生活再艰难，也决心为了他的妻子和孩子奋斗。

1949

For years, Beng Chew worked long hours doing odd jobs to save money to rent a stall in a small coffeeshop at 8 Upper Cross Street and started Singapore’s 1st Soy Sauce Chicken stall. He had spent years trying to perfect his recipe and was finally happy with the result. Beng Chew named his stall “CHEW KEE” using the last word in his name.

Business was brisk and he soon garnered popularity for his soy sauce chicken noodle amongst a pool of loyal regular customers. People from all walks of life including workers, housewives, and bosses supported the business. His wife and four children took turns to help out at the stall.

Over the next few years, seeing how good his business was, competitors started selling their variation of soy sauce chicken with one of them in the same coffeeshop. But Beng Chew stood out amidst competition by staying true to his beliefs – preparing food with a sincere heart, quality over quantity and making his food affordable for the community. Taking customers’ feedback into consideration, he also started selling soy sauce chicken rice and hor fun (rice noodle).

炳钊多年长时间努力打散工，终于存了一笔钱。他在八号克罗士街上段的南园咖啡店里，租下了一个小档口。炳钊花了多年的时间研制了令他满意的油鸡秘方，从此开始了新加坡第一间油鸡档。炳钊用他名字中的最后一个字,命名了他的摊位“钊记”。

生意蒸蒸日上，炳钊的正宗油鸡获得很多顾客的赞扬，也为他招来了不少老顾客。从工人，老板到家庭主妇都对他的油鸡面赞不绝口。当生意忙不过来的时候，他的妻子和孩子们都会轮流在摊位帮忙。他也听取了顾客的意见，开始卖起了油鸡饭和油鸡河粉。

在接下来的几年里，竞争对手看到他的生意蓬勃，也开始了卖油鸡，甚至还有一档在同一间咖啡店里。但是，炳钊在竞争中脱颖而出。他坚持自己的信念，用真诚的心料理，秉持着食物品质，让社区各阶层以实惠的价格享用他的油鸡。

1980

After toiling for more than 25 years, Beng Chew decided to retire at the age of 63. He handed the family business and the recipe to the 2nd generation. His daughter, Madam Yu Lye Kuan, who has helped out at the stall at the tender age of 7, took over the daily operations with the help of her siblings and at the same time, took over the whole coffeeshop after it was renovated.

80 年代。 辛苦了超过二十五年后，炳钊决定在六十三岁时退休，将家族生意和秘方交给了第二代。他的女儿余丽琴女士从七岁时就在档口帮忙。在兄弟姐妹的帮助下，接管了日常营运。也在这同时，当南园咖啡店在经过一番整修后，钊记油鸡也接管了整个咖啡店。

1992

Due to structural issues, the coffeeshop had to undergo major reconstruction and moved temporary to No. 34 Upper Cross Street.

由于建筑结构性问题，八号咖啡店不得不进行重大改造。钊记油鸡并暂时搬到附近的三十四号克罗士街上段。

1994

Construction at No. 8 Upper Cross Street was finally completed and the business moved back to its original location.

During the bird flu scares in 1997 and 2003, when the business had to import poultry from Brazil, resulting in higher cost and the business sustained losses, the family managed to keep the business afloat.

经过两年漫长的时间，八号咖啡店的建筑工程终于完成，钊记油鸡也搬回原址。

在1997年和2003年的禽流感恐慌期间，钊记油鸡不得不从巴西进口家禽。虽然导致成本增加和生意持续亏损，钊记还是成功维持了生意。