‘We f*cked up’: Haus Coffee owner responds to allegations following temporary closure, ex-employee allegedly paid less than agreed
Haus Coffee, which runs the Rookies & Haus Concept Store in Golden Mile Tower, has closed its doors temporarily as it faces multiple accusations of delayed salaries and payments to its suppliers.
The allegations came to light after the cafe announced its temporary closure on a Sept 17 Instagram post, which wrote: “Our store at Golden Mile Tower will be closed for the time being as we sort out internal matters 🫰🏻”.
Several comments on the post accused Haus Coffee of a “standard drop” and that “it doesn’t pay its employees and suppliers on time”.
One Instagram user wrote: “They took 7 months to pay me $100 for shoot we did back in January. I only got paid in July😐”
Rookies & Haus Concept Store first opened in Golden Mile Tower in Dec 2024. The store combined a cafe — Haus Coffee — with an in-house apparel brand — Rookies Studio — and other emerging fashion brands in the region.
Cafe allegedly shortchanged employee after multiple chasers
An anonymous employee told Stomp that following an unpaid trial shift, she was informed that she was scheduled for a paid shift after midnight for the next day — when she was already asleep.
Screenshots shared with Stomp show a Haus manager repeatedly texting the 21-year-old employee late at night to take last-minute shifts for the following day.
“How was I supposed to prepare myself?” she asked.
The employee then worked from 10am to 8.30pm on July 8. She did not receive payment for working that day despite multiple follow-up messages.
When she received a reply via Instagram two months later, the cafe corrected her that the rate was $11 per hour for the “first three shifts” instead of the $13-per-hour rate stated in the cafe’s initial message.
The employee later confirmed with Stomp that she has since received payment, but according to the lower hourly rate.
Allegations against cafe owner
Subsequently, an Instagram story — purported to originate from the ex-girlfriend and business partner of Haus Coffee owner Tan Junyu — made its rounds on social media. The story contained additional allegations against Tan, including:
- Frequent travelling that left his ex-girlfriend running the store for seven days a week, with rarely any breaks
- Cheating on his ex-girlfriend during his supposed business trips
- Embezzling the company’s funds for his trips
- Using bank cards under his ex-girlfriend’s name to pay for sex workers’ services
- Purchasing replica apparel from Taobao to pass off as authentic designer apparel in-store
Owner of Haus Coffee: ‘We f*cked up’
On Sept 26, Tan released a statement through Haus Coffee’s Instagram account titled: “We F*cked Up”.
“My reckless lifestyle and habits have caused great inconvenience and disappointment to everyone who worked at HAUS, customers, collaborators, friends and family,” he wrote.
He acknowledged that he had paid salaries “significantly later than expected despite several reminders”, and that employees had to pay for supplies out of pocket.
“I was irresponsible in making appropriate arrangements to ensure the store had enough supplies to operate,” explained Tan.
“I failed in my responsibilities as an employer and business owner, and as a result, I placed everyone in an uncomfortable and unfair position, and I take full responsibility for that,” he added.
Tan also apologised to customers who had negative experiences with Haus Coffee’s baristas who did not display “appropriate attitude and customer service”.
He explained that “new management” is in place to oversee recruitment, training and business finances.
He also announced that he would be stepping down from his role at Haus Coffee to reflect on his actions.
Netizens demand accountability
Tan’s statement has garnered 2,160 likes on Instagram, with most of the comments pressing for further accountability and reassurances.
One Instagram user, who said he had previously consigned t-shirts to Haus Coffee, wrote: “Internal management change without a timeline isn’t reassuring. I’ve consigned vintage tees to Rookies.
“So what do I do next? Who should I contact? Or should the new management reach out instead? When? Accountability needs actionable, trackable next steps.”
Some called on Tan to apologise to his business partner, who had "built this business up" and whom Tan reportedly “kicked out”.
Yet others pointed out that the title of the statement was inappropriate, suggesting that it was hard to take Tan’s apology seriously as a result.
Stomp has reached out to Haus Coffee for additional comment.
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