Morning light filters through the tall, arched windows of Grumpy Bagels’ second outlet at The Diesel Room in Sentul Depot, illuminating exposed brick walls and industrial steel beams. Though the café is closed on the day of our shoot, activity hums behind the scenes. Bakers shape festive cookies in a steady rhythm; trays lined neatly on the kitchen counters. Outside, early visitors linger with cameras in hand, capturing photos of the building’s rustic façade.
Since opening in January, this new outlet has quickly become a destination that bridges heritage and contemporary café culture. Claire Tan moves through the space with the ease of someone completely at home, pausing to chat with a baker over a tray of freshly made dough. “I had goosebumps the first time I stepped into the building,” the cafe’s founder tells us later in our interview. “It’s exactly the kind of space I imagined – a piece of history that people can feel comfortable in.”
With this historic backdrop setting the scene, Claire reflects on her journey from a flight attendant based in Dubai to a home-baker, before returning to Malaysia to build something meaningful of her own. Today, Grumpy Bagels, with two thriving outlets, stands as a testament to that pursuit.
From jet-setting to home-baking
Born and raised in Johor, Claire is the eldest daughter in a family where her father was the sole breadwinner. From a young age, she learned the value of self-reliance and nurtured a desire to carve her own path.
After moving to Singapore for university to study human resource management, she discovered that the conventional office job wasn’t for her. “I tried an internship during university and realised the office life wasn’t for me. It felt so boring,” she recalls. “I wanted something that would allow me to travel more and see the world.”
A chance visit to an Emirates open day led to her relocating to Dubai, where she spent five years exploring new cultures and experiences as a flight attendant – opportunities that broadened her perspective and would later influence her business approach.
“Sometimes you can’t wait for things to be perfect. You have to learn to adapt along the way.”
When the COVID-19 pandemic grounded flights, Claire found herself with time on her hands and a rekindled passion for baking. She began with pandan chiffon cakes, which she shared with friends, and soon, her home-based business took off.
By the time she returned to Malaysia in 2021, Claire knew she needed something more unique. Pandan chiffon cakes were familiar to locals, so she wanted to offer something that stood out. Enrolling in a one-year pastry course in Singapore honed her skills, giving her the confidence to pursue a vision that married her love of baking with design and branding inspiration gleaned from her travels.
The obsession that became Grumpy Bagels
The idea for Grumpy Bagels arose almost by accident. One evening, while watching Suits with her husband, Claire noticed a scene with bagels and realised she missed the ones she had enjoyed on her travels to the United States. When she couldn’t find any nearby, she decided to make her own.
“The first bagel was terrible – like a rock,” she laughs. “I had to figure out what I was doing wrong.” Days turned into weeks of experimentation until she perfected the texture, but by then, her fridge was overflowing with bagels. Friends (read: her loyal customers) began asking for more, sparking the idea for a bagel business.
Claire also had fun naming her new venture. “I wanted something cute and came up with so many ideas like ‘Naughty Bagels’ and ‘Happy Bagels,’ but my husband said they were lame,” she shares, adding with a hint of sarcasm, “Then I said, okay, why not ‘Grumpy Bagels’ like you?” To her surprise, he agreed – and the name stuck.
At first, Claire envisioned a small, grab-and-go kiosk, similar to Subway. That changed when she visited a café in a converted bungalow near her first outlet location. “I realised you could turn a residential house into a commercial space, and that’s exactly what I wanted,” she says. “In Europe or Australia, cafés feel personal, not commercial, and I wanted to bring that feeling to Malaysia.”
Serendipitously, Claire stumbled upon an abandoned house on a quiet street in Imbi. But convincing the landlord required persistence. “When I told him about my business idea, he literally asked me, ‘What is a bagel?’” she recalls, laughing. Undeterred, she prepared a full proposal and promised to cover renovations herself. “I don’t think he believed it would work, but he saw my passion – so he agreed to let me try.”
Things turned out better than expected. Even before the doors officially opened, Claire’s social media posts about the renovations went viral. On opening day, customers lined up for hours, selling out the menu within two hours. The experience was exhilarating – albeit equally exhausting for the first-time entrepreneur.
Learning leadership the hard way
Claire admits that she underestimated nearly every aspect of launching a café, from manpower to production to customer management. Her husband had to jump on board to help with operations, but even then, the workload was overwhelming. Both often slept just four hours a night to keep the business running.
“When we first started, we worked until midnight and then woke up at 4am to start production,” she says. Early customers were enthusiastic, but supplies were limited, and they often didn’t have enough ingredients to meet demand. “Some people didn’t care about waiting; they wanted to try their luck even though we told them we had no more bagels. It was messy.”
“Leadership is about listening and supporting your team, not about being loud or demanding.”
They spent the next six months rapidly hiring and training bakers, refining queue systems, and streamlining resources. “From having no experience to getting everything in place, we were really forced to grow a lot. But it was fun because those experiences helped us prepare for second outlet,” she reflects. “Sometimes you can’t wait for things to be perfect. You have to learn to adapt along the way.”
The challenges helped shape her leadership philosophy. “Leadership is about listening and supporting your team, not about being loud or demanding,” Claire says. She prioritises emotional awareness, creating a collaborative environment where her team feels valued. Head bakers oversee production, managers handle front-of-house quality checks, and everyone adheres to clear SOPs.
Being a female founder in F&B also comes with its own scrutiny. “People see that you’re young or soft-spoken and immediately wonder if you can handle the stress,” she notes. Rather than trying to appear tougher, Claire lets her work and vision demonstrate her capability.
Power, purpose, and perseverance
After the first outlet’s success, Claire was approached with opportunities to expand, but resisted the urge to scale too quickly. She is selective about locations, seeking buildings with character rather than high-traffic convenience. “I don’t want 40 outlets,” she says. “I want each place to be special.” A second outlet would only happen if the right space came along – and she knew she had found it the moment she stepped inside the very space we were in.
With a history dating back to 1905, the Diesel Room previously served as an electrical workshop for old railway locomotives. Although it initially resembled a rundown shed with zinc walls, Claire immediately saw its potential as a home for Grumpy Bagels to celebrate heritage, design, and community. Given the long list of structural repairs required, however, she was met with hesitation. But once again, her patience and resolve paid off months later when the call she had been waiting for finally came – an invitation to move forward.
“Power comes from within. You don’t have to be assertive to be powerful. If you have a clear vision and passion, people can feel your energy.”
While a third outlet is not on the cards yet, her plans remain grounded in that same mindset. “This is my baby,” she says. “I don’t want to overexpand it.” Overseas pop-ups and collaborations are on the horizon, especially given the interest from abroad, but she is firm about timing. “Maybe when everything is stable with this outlet,” she adds, “then I’ll consider it.”
Her approach also defines how she views the concept of power. “Power comes from within. You don’t have to be assertive to be powerful. If you have a clear vision and passion, people can feel your energy,” she explains.
Ultimately, success, to her, isn’t merely about chasing ambition, but protecting what matters. “It’s a whole package – your relationships, your health, and your career,” she contends. Maintaining close ties with her family, growing alongside her husband, and building a team she trusts are non-negotiables. “I’m grateful that even with everything going on, I still have good relationships with the people around me.”
Reflecting on the past two years of growing Grumpy Bagels, she concludes, “My biggest takeaway for this journey is really learning to trust myself. Good things take time – you have to keep improving and striving until what you work for becomes what you imagined.”
Editor, interview and words: Natalie Khoo
Art direction: Driv, assisted by Imran Sulaiman
Photography: Herry Chia Ee | Herry Studio
Lighting assistant: Daniel Ong
Videography: Khairul Irsyaduddin
Video concept and subtitles: Charmaine Loh
Styling: Birdy Lee
Hair and makeup: Elaine Chan