Buzz returns to hawker centres, coffee shops as curbs ease
Stallholders see better business as curbs on dining in ease for approved venues
Several hawkers and coffee-shop stall owners saw the buzz return to their venues yesterday morning, as patrons from different households were allowed to dine in groups of up to five.
As part of the initial batch of venues that will allow such groups, 11 hawker centres and seven coffee shops were identified as being able to control access, as well as conduct checks on the vaccination status of their customers.
Hawkers told The Straits Times they saw more life yesterday morning compared with the earlier weeks, when patrons could dine only alone or with one other person.
"You can feel the difference today, it's more busy," said Madam Ng Bee Leng, 57, whose family has been running Holland Village Homemade Soyabean at Holland Village Market and Food Centre since the 1970s. "More parents have been bringing their kids here. I have not seen them for so long."
It was a similar case at Kampung Admiralty Hawker Centre.
Madam Ainun Hasan, 50, a full-time employee at the Warong Lorong Fatimah stall, said: "The hawker centre feels a lot livelier today. Usually it is very quiet, especially since people order takeaways.
"Now that they allow five people to dine in, there are more families and even elderly people with their friends."
ST visited several hawker centres and coffee shops across the island in areas such as Hougang, Admiralty, Tiong Bahru and Holland Village yesterday morning and just before lunch.
Kampung Admiralty Hawker Centre was packed with the breakfast crowd, and hawkers in Beo Crescent Market in Tiong Bahru enjoyed brisk lunchtime business.
Others, like Ci Yuan Hawker Centre in Hougang and Holland Village Market and Food Centre, had some unoccupied tables in the morning.
The GoodYear Restaurant Enterprise coffee shop in Tampines said business improved by about 50 per cent yesterday.
But its owner, Ms Geraldine Peh, 25, said the repeated rule changes have been "draining".
"We have to always adapt to new measures and keep up with the news and inform our staff about the rules, so that we don't flout them... ," said Ms Peh.
Patrons welcomed the chance to dine with their friends again.
Three retirees were spotted chatting over coffee at Holland Village Market and Food Centre.
One of them, a 67-year-old who wished to be known only as Mr Siu, said the trio used to meet regularly at the food centre for their morning coffee before the pandemic.
Safe distancing officers in white National Environment Agency (NEA) polo shirts and red armbands, as well as safe distancing ambassadors in red shirts, were seen patrolling the hawker centres.
The NEA and Singapore Food Agency last Saturday said the remaining hawker centres under NEA and NEA-appointed operators will have entry and vaccination checks by next Tuesday.
Coffee shops can come on board when they have put in place the necessary control measures to allow groups of five from different households to dine at their venues.
ADDITIONAL REPORTING: NG SOR LUAN
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