Singaporean laments soaring rents forcing food stalls to close despite efforts to offer affordable meals

Online Citizen​

22-05-2025

A Facebook post from 14 May 2025 raised concern over soaring rental costs for food stall owners in Singapore.
The post, written by consultant and professional speaker Indera Tasripin, has sparked discussion on social inequality and landlord practices affecting small vendors.
Indera recounted his dismay upon learning that a well-regarded Malay food stall in a Woodlands coffee shop—popular for traditional dishes such as mee siam and mee rebus—was preparing to cease operations due to an unsustainable rent hike.
He noted that despite the stall's efforts to maintain affordable pricing for nearby HDB residents, the owner had reached a breaking point under the weight of rising costs.
'For the past two months, the stall owner said they have not been able to cope with the rent increase to S$8,000,' Indera wrote.
He added that similar stories were emerging from other vendors, many of whom are paying between S$5,000 and S$6,000 and struggling to stay afloat.
In his post, Indera questioned whether such rental levels were reasonable, describing them as 'pure robbery and injustice.'
He expressed disbelief that even his peers in larger media agencies and enrichment centres were not subjected to such exorbitant rates for more spacious premises.
Calling the situation a form of 'bullying,' Indera appealed to National Development Minister Desmond Lee and Marsiling–Yew Tee GRC Member of Parliament Hany Soh, urging them to address what he described as long-standing inequality facing coffee shop vendors.
He called for regulations to prevent landlords from imposing excessive rents on small stallholders, warning that the current system leaves vendors powerless against market forces.
Indera also criticised the contradiction of government initiatives that require food vendors to offer healthier, affordable meals—priced around S$3 to S$3.50—while allowing unregulated rental practices to persist.
'These are deep-seated problems that humble vendors have little control over,' he wrote. 'I don't even think this stall owner knows what lies ahead for him.'
Describing the vendor's expression as one of resigned defeat, Indera concluded his post with a plea: 'We should not allow this kind of unethical rent hike to continue.'
Comments on the post echoed Indera's concerns, with several netizens pointing out that the high cost of rent has made it impossible for small operators to survive.
'That's why nowadays you only see the same old brands creeping into neighbourhood hawkers,' one user said. 'Only the big players can afford.'
Others shared examples of extreme rental hikes from across Singapore.
A stall at a Yishun void deck reportedly pays S$3,500 in monthly rent, while another in Hougang, post-renovation, is charged S$8,000—resulting in long-time vendors giving up their stalls.
Indera proposed that regulatory frameworks, including a possible rent control act and stricter oversight by the Housing & Development Board (HDB), be considered. 'Can't let this fester,' he wrote.
Rent inflation paints an alarming picture of F&B closures in Singapore
Separately, the issue of rising commercial rent has also been examined in a detailed opinion piece by Zat Astha, Editor-in-Chief of The Peak magazine.
In All hail the landlord: Spike in F&B closures demand closer look, Zat presents an alarming picture of closures across the F&B sector due to rent inflation.
According to Zat, prime retail rents surged by 3.0% year-on-year in 2024, reaching S$27.80 per square foot per month. This was followed by another 0.6% increase in the first quarter of 2025.
These hikes have contributed to the closure of over 300 F&B outlets per month in 2025, according to Reuters, representing more than ten business shutdowns each day.
Zat cited the case of Flor Patisserie, which shuttered two outlets in 2024 following a 57% rental hike. Other prominent closures include Michelin-starred restaurants like Art di Daniele Sperindio and Braci, as well as multiple tenants exiting Parkway Parade Mall, including Marks & Spencer.
He criticised landlords for choosing to leave units empty rather than lowering rents to accommodate community-focused businesses.
'We like to call these tragic losses. But in truth, they are merely the natural conclusion of a system we chose decades ago,' he wrote.
Zat proposed two broad categories of solutions: legislative and moral. Legislative actions would involve rent controls and vacancy taxes for landlords holding out for high-profit tenants.
Moral solutions include encouraging wealthy investors to provide 'patient capital' that supports community values rather than short-term gains.
However, Zat expressed scepticism about the feasibility of such reforms, noting that they would require a fundamental shift in Singapore's deeply entrenched economic pragmatism.
'Do we, as a society, have the stomach for policies that openly favour social good at the expense of profit?' he asked, noting the likely resistance from landlords, economists, and political circles.
Zat warned that the disappearance of small, passion-driven businesses is not simply an economic casualty but a cultural one.
He argued that the shift toward profit-maximising tenants has eroded the community spirit that once defined Singapore's food landscape.
'When muffins become too expensive to bake cheaply, when gyms can no longer offer community rates, and when only large chains and venture-funded franchises remain, we haven't merely lost small businesses — we've lost something much larger, something fundamentally irreplaceable,' Zat wrote.