Tony Lim, the entrepreneur behind the Boat Noodle and BananaBro restaurant chains, has died at the age of 47. His death was announced on Nov 2 on the social media pages of both brands. The cause of death was not disclosed.
In its tribute, BananaBro said Lim had set out to introduce banana leaf rice to the world and that his dream would live on in its restaurants. Boat Noodle described him as a dreamer and a mentor who had real faith in his staff.
Lim, a father of two, opened the first Boat Noodle outlet in 2014 in a tiny shop at Empire Damansara, Selangor, inspired by the small bowls of boat noodles he enjoyed in Bangkok, his wife’s hometown. The concept drew long queues, and diners began stacking their empty bowls into towers for photographs. His Malaysian outlets served a halal version, since traditional Thai broths can contain animal blood.
In 2018, he turned to banana leaf rice and opened the first BananaBro outlet at Berjaya Times Square in Kuala Lumpur. The idea reportedly grew out of a cycling trip around Malaysia with two friends, after a banana leaf meal in mainland Penang impressed them so much that they persuaded its cook to move to KL as head chef. The chain passed 30 outlets in 2023 and recorded RM70 million in revenue that year.
An automotive engineer by training, Lim worked in his family’s logistics and transport business before moving into food and beverage. His first venture in the trade was helping his sister set up a Chatime franchise in Cambodia.
At the time of his death, there were 49 Boat Noodle outlets and more than 40 BananaBro branches across the country.