S’pore’s Chinatown Food Street closed down after 20 years due to “no tourists or local crowd”

Another one bites the dust in the F&B business due to Covid-19. This time it’s an entire street of hawker food delights.

Chinatown Food Street has closed for good after 20 years of operations, according to The Straits Times. Its last day was on Friday, Oct 22.

A spokesman for operator Select Group said that the company could not continue with the business due to “no tourists or local crowd”. The tenants were also not paying their rent.

It used to feature stalls like King of Fried Rice, Tiong Bahru Meng Kee Roast Duck, and Boon Tat BBQ Seafood.

Tried to revive the business

During Covid-19, promotions and deals were offered in a bid to draw crowds back to the food street. It reopened in December last year featuring steamboat and ala carte buffet concepts.

But the lack of crowds impacted by the resurgence of Covid-19 in the city state this year made it difficult for the food venture to continue. The closed borders also had almost zero tourists to patronise these food stalls at Chinatown.

The Singapore Tourism Board (STB) said it had provided support measures and worked closely with Select Group in this period to revive the business. Support included rental waivers and financial aid for marketing efforts.

STB says it is working closely with relevant agencies to explore options for the site, in response to queries from The Straits Times.

Food street opened in 2001

The food street opened in 2001 as part of the STB’s efforts to revitalise Chinatown.

Stretching a few metres long along Smith Street, it had drawn in crowds at the start but footfall started to dwindle a few years later.

In 2013, it closed for renovations to refresh the site, including building a roof to shelter diners. The site reopened in 2014 with new operator Select Group, showcasing 24 stalls.

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