They dived headfirst into starting Tash Tish Tosh 13 years ago
It’s a pizza, but it’s not exactly the pizza we know and love.
Instead of a thin crust, tomato sauce base, mozzarella, and pepperoni toppings, the crust is shaped like the base of a ship, beef chunks, tulang (Malay for mutton bone), and feta cheese on top of it. This is the Battleship, one of Tash Tish Tosh‘s signature dishes.
While the fusion of Malay and American cuisine isn’t new per se, Tash Tish Tosh combines the flavours of both cuisines to the next level, at least, that’s according to Walid “Spyke” Allapitchay, who started the business together with his wife, Nazihah “Naz” Ibrahim, in 2013.
“I see there is a parallel with Malay and American food. The taste and flavours are a lot bolder,” he explained, and the business has become one of the most well-loved brands by the Muslim community, including some of my colleagues who first introduced me to the business two years ago.
This is a testament to the couple’s determination to their craft, borne out of slaving over their passion for more than a decade. But during my recent interview with Walid, behind the bright smile lay years of hardship and struggle, and one line stuck with me since then.
“If we had gone through the considerations and we had thought about it, we would have never gone into F&B.”
In an exclusive interview, Vulcan Post sat down with Walid, where he shared how Tash Tish Tosh first started and how, despite their long history, they too are struggling in Singapore’s competitive F&B scene.
Starting the business with just blind faith
Before starting the business, the couple often hosted family and friends at their home, and according to Wahid, Chef Naz always had a knack for cooking unconventional dishes. Her creations became loved by their guests, who suggested that they start their own eatery.
“I think one of those times when they said that, an angel probably went by and just said ameen,” Wahid shared with a laugh. “It’s just blind faith. We went into it, and here we are right now.”
In 2013, Wahid and Chef Naz launched their first stall at Best Hawa Restaurant on Onan Road, tucked away in a small corner of the coffee shop—right beside the toilets. They first started offering dishes inspired by American classics, such as sandwich subs and buffalo wings, while incorporating rich flavours found in Malay cuisine.
The small stall size kept their rent and inventory limited, which meant the cost to set up was “next to nothing.” That said, running the business proved to be extremely challenging as no customers were patronising their store, and funds were running out quickly.
“We used up our family savings, all, everything, just to do this,” revealed Wahid, adding that they could only make S$50 a day at best at that time.
Running Tash Tish Tosh also came with a fair share of sacrifices beyond capital. The 53-year-old explained that the couple could not spend time with their children in their growing years, and could only see them when they dropped them off at school and when they came home in the wee hours of the morning.
“I remember those days. We touch their hands, touch their fingers, and all that to see that every bone is still intact. Literally to make sure there are no injuries, no scars, because they were left to by amongst themselves,” Wahid emotionally shared, adding that they couldn’t afford tuition for their children back then.
Despite these painful sacrifices, the couple remained determined to keep the business going to provide for their children. Wahid then relied on his experience working in major companies, including advertising agency Leo Burnett and MTV, both in the States and Singapore, to create the business’s brand identity, and caught the attention of influencers.
“Some halal food influencers came and said, ‘Hey, these buffalo wings are the bomb!’. After that, people came and walked by the shop with their phones and said ‘I want the bomb buffalo wings too!” Wahid cheerfully shared.
But then, reality hit them hard
With the increased exposure from influencers, Tash Tish Tosh soon drew more customers. This gave them the courage to continue expanding to bigger locations each year. First, a coffeeshop stall in Katong in 2014, to their first restaurant space at Simpang Bedok in 2015, and eventually, 50 Kandahar Street at Kampung Glam in 2018.
Though he doesn’t monitor the business finances down to every cent, Wahid shared that he moved locations for various reasons aside from capital. The move to Katong was to provide a more conducive dining environment, while setting up their restaurant at Simpang came when Walid was certain he had enough regulars to expand.
Wahid also added that when the business picked up, the couple was able to provide a comfortable life for their family. “The business has fed my children well.”
Apart from expanding their menu, the business has also opened two locations at Marine Cove and Jurong. Wahid shared that these two locations were opened in response to receiving many complaints from customers who were unable to get seats and tables due to the cramped dining space, and noted that both locations have bigger dining capacities.
In addition, Tash Tish Tosh launched its own burger joint, Tash Dash, at the end of 2024 in Haji Lane, in a bid to offer their own take on the classic fast food. “We will only go into something if we know we can improve on it. That’s why when it comes to burgers, we go the long way.”
But despite their accomplishments, continuing to sustain the business when 80% of F&B brands are losing money is a struggle—even for heritage brands, and Walid faced business issues after expanding.
The 53-year-old noted that the dining habits amongst Singaporeans changed after the COVID-19 pandemic, causing Tash Tish Tosh to experience a severe market slowdown in Nov 2024, which was once considered a peak period for many F&B entities. According to Walid, crowds across all outlets have since dwindled, especially from 2-5PM on weekdays.
As a result, the Jurong restaurant was “bleeding money,” and keeping it running no longer made financial sense, causing the couple to make the difficult decision to shut it down in Nov 2025.
As the scale of their operations has increased since their days at the coffeeshops, the couple also incurred more and higher overheads, such as the salaries for their 50 employees and their larger inventory. Pursuing quality has also taken a hit on its profit margins, and its sales and revenue have gone down today.
“You’ve got to pay for all these things before you can turn on the fire. Because if you don’t pay for any of these things, you can’t cook.”
Embracing change to survive
Despite their ups and downs, Wahid has never regretted starting Tash Tish Tosh with Chef Naz, and expressed their determination to keep the business afloat. The couple has since turned to social media, in particular TikTok, where they engage with their audiences through livestreams and short-form videos.
Chef Naz, once described as shy (as per their website), is often the face of many of their videos, and Wahid has become more active in front of the camera and behind the scenes, where he ideates and produces their videos with the help of his team.
“I had friends coming up to me and say, ‘A proper F&B shouldn’t go into TikTok and all,’ revealed Wahid, to which he responded by saying that if he doesn’t leverage the way people are engaging with businesses, there is a risk of getting left behind.
As of now, survival remains the topmost priority for Wahid, who emphasised that he would do his best with what the business currently has in hopes of providing an environment for intergenerational families to come and dine at their restaurants.
“To be really honest with you, we are also fighting for survival right now to stay relevant…To answer your question on whether I have the right formula about how to go through this current period, I don’t, because I’m actually riding it now, and I’m trying my best.”
And at the heart of Tash Tish Tosh lies a Singaporean husband and wife determined to keep their unique identity alive amidst cookie-cutter shops and international brands.
“Tash Tish Tosh is a true-blue Singaporean story. We’re just a Singaporean husband and wife team living in an HDB flat, and we are just living the Singapore life and going through the struggles just like everyone else…If there’s anything special about us, it is that we are a Singaporean family. If there’s also nothing special about us, it’s also that,” Wahid joked.
- Learn more about Tash Tish Tosh here.
- Read more stories we’ve written on Singaporean businesses here.
Featured Image Credit: Tash Tish Tosh