Sugar fixes can pay sweet dividends. Such is the case for tweens and teens satiating their sweet tooth on the way home from school at the newest outlet of Pastry Passions found on the downstairs level of the Half-Way-Tree Transport Centre. It’s proven a win-win situation for both customer and proprietor, as the boutique pastry shop has been doing exceptional business during weekday afternoon hours, as students make their way through the centre with the young’uns all too happy to indulge in the tasty treats.

“Business has been wonderful,” store supervisor Ann McKenzie shares. “From 2 pm until the evening hours, primary and high school kids are our major customer base from Monday to Friday.” Thursday Food corroborated McKenzie’s claim as our visit to Pastry Passions in Half-Way-Tree last Tuesday afternoon saw a bustling scene with uniform-clad teenagers filling the store. The pastry shop — the third venture in the Pastry Passions franchise (with the initial branch still open in the Sovereign Centre’s food court and the second outlet having a short-lived existence in Manor Park Plaza) — opened in the transport centre three days before Christmas Day last year. The store was quickly embraced by the target market of thousands of bus-riding commuters who move through the centre on a daily basis.

Cupcakes are favoured purchases for the school-going set with red velvet, vanilla, black forest, coconut cream and rich chocolate always on request. McKenzie also informs us that a $190 combo special, which includes a muffin with either a serving of coffee or tea, also retails well.

However, based on the huge customer demand we observed, the store’s milkshakes are its calling card. Seemingly every other customer ordered one during our 30-minute stay. With the large costing $295 and a small $195, milkshakes are stirring customers’ passions.

McKenzie adds that while business slows a bit on Saturdays, customer flow remains satisfactory, and shifts from young to adult customers. As for Sundays, the supervisor tells Thursday Food, “it’s a sad face for business”.

Location: Downstairs, Half-Way-Tree Transport Centre