PUBLISHED ONJuly 03, 2026 9:27 AMBYKoh Xing YingSeveral food vendors at a coffee shop in Eunos were caught off guard after being told to vacate their premises ahead of its closure, with some scrambling to find alternative stalls at short notice.
Speaking to AsiaOne, one affected vendor at Thye Hwa Heng Canteen said stallholders were informed on Father's Day (June 21) that the coffee shop would cease operations by the end of July.
This meant that vendors were given just over a month to secure new premises.
Benedict Teo, 43, who operates Mei Fa Ji Fish Soup, said he had only been open for about two months before being told that his tenancy would end.
"It came as a shock for some vendors for sure, and it was difficult for me, especially when I had just settled in," said Teo.
"The coffee shop did inform me that there would be a meeting with the building management sometime in late July, but it hasn't even reached the end of the month and we already need to vacate before then," he said.
Teo shared that he has since found another stall in Ubi.
"I'm probably the first out of the nine stalls to to find a new stall in this short period, but I'm sure others are struggling to find replacements. I did recommend some options to my neighbouring stallholders, and I hope they get good news soon," said Teo.
Another vendor affected by the closure is Dudu Cantonese Cuisine, which invested more than $100,000 after moving into the coffee shop barely a year ago.
Owner Tommy Pang, 30, said he was taken aback when he first learned the coffee shop would be closing, as he had signed an agreement to lease three adjoining stalls until 2028 at a monthly rental of about $10,000.
"When the business owner first told me about the news, I was completely stunned and could not react at all," said Pang.
The stall now faces the challenge of relocating while trying to safeguard the livelihoods of more than 10 employees.
According to Pang, he accepted the tenancy despite being told that the property could be reclaimed in two years, believing he would at least be able to operate until his lease expired.
"The space suited our needs because we require a large kitchen. We even invested in installing a giant industrial fan because we planned to operate here until our lease expired," said Pang.
Responding to media queries, Thye Hwa Heng Canteen owner Chen Qiwen (transliteration), 67, told Shin Min Daily News that the decision to close the coffee shop was driven by rising rental costs and a sharp decline in customer traffic.
"Many factories nearby have moved away, and we've lost almost half our customers," said Chen, adding that customer traffic had fallen by more than half over the past two years as factories in the surrounding industrial estate gradually relocated.
"I've been struggling to cover the rent for the entire coffee shop on my own. I simply can't sustain the business anymore."
Having operated the coffee shop for four decades, Chen said the decision was an emotional one.
"I've run this coffee shop for 40 years, and some tenants have been with me for many years. I'm reluctant to close, but I'm getting older and if I continue, I'm afraid I could end up losing my life's savings," he said.
AsiaOne has reached out to Thye Hwa Heng Canteen for comment.
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