Foodpreneur Daniel Ong to close last Dan’s Steaks outlet due to rising costs and debts
Eddino Abdul Hadi
The Straits Times
July 29, 2026
Former radio DJ turned food and beverage (F&B) entrepreneur Daniel Ong is set to close the last remaining outlet of his Dan’s Steaks restaurant chain after six years.
Escalating operating expenses, specifically rising food costs, staff salaries and rental rates, have made it impossible to continue, he wrote on Instagram.
“With increasing competition all around us, it has become impossible to keep going sustainably,” the 50-year-old local personality says of the branch at Serangoon Garden in a post dated July 28. “Sometimes, loving something isn’t enough.”
Started six years ago during the Covid-19 pandemic, Dan’s Steaks was born out of his personal passion for cooking in his home kitchen. The chain’s previous three outlets in Upper East Coast Road, The Star Vista and Greenwood Avenue were shuttered over the years.
In a follow-up post dated July 29, Ong wrote that he felt “overwhelmed” by the encouragement from the public after he put up his original post. “Online support is amazing. Real support is walking through our doors,” he wrote.
He also revealed more reasons for the closure. “Closing our previous outlets left us with a six-figure debt that we’re still trying to clear,” he explained, alongside outstanding vendor payments, payroll obligations and rent deadlines.
The Serangoon Garden outlet is expected to cease operations within “a few months” as it tries to pay off debts and “close with dignity”.
Ong also announced several promotions for customers, including absorbing the 9 per cent goods and services tax, starting from Aug 1, to keep prices flat, along with a series of 24-hour “Dan’s Disappearing Deals” on Instagram Stories.
Ong rose to prominence from the late 1990s to 2011 on local radio stations 987 and One 91.3. His media career also included acting in television sitcoms like Mr Kiasu (2001 to 2002), co-hosting reality singing show Singapore Idol in 2006, and hosting major events such as the 2006 National Day Parade.
He subsequently launched several F&B ventures, most notably co-founding the confectionery chain Twelve Cupcakes in 2011 with his then wife, local artiste and entrepreneur Jaime Teo, before selling it to an Indian tea conglomerate in 2016.
In 2021, he was fined $65,000 for failing to prevent Twelve Cupcakes from underpaying foreign employees during his tenure as director. His other past F&B undertakings include the now-closed Rookery diner and bar chain, seafood eatery Estuary and craft beer brand Brewlander.
Over the past year, Ong has also worked as a personal wellness coach alongside his wife, Fay Tan. He has four children: a 16-year-old daughter from his previous marriage to Teo, two sons aged five and three whom he shares with Tan, and an 11-year-old stepdaughter from Tan’s previous marriage.
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