Large landlords now dominate the kopitiam scene, with stalls offering near-identical menus, branding, and prices
As you travel across Singapore, it’s hard not to notice how one kopitiam now looks—and tastes—remarkably similar to another. They are becoming increasingly indistinguishable from one another, with the same menus, the same few brands, and similar prices appearing everywhere.
Once, these spaces buzzed with communal energy. Families, students, and office workers mingled with stallholders who had spent decades perfecting their recipes.
But times have changed. Today, many kopitiams are either closing, lying vacant, or being taken over by franchise chains. Large landlords like Kimly Coffeeshop and Tam Chiak Kopitiam dominate the scene, filling outlets with well-funded brands that follow uniform branding, menus, and pricing.
Why is this shift happening, and what does it mean for Singapore’s beloved kopitiam culture?
A wave of closures
Back in the old days, local hawkers once experimented with their own recipes, built personal relationships with customers, and brought unique flavours to the table. The personality of the stall was as important as the food itself.
But as big operators moved in, the vibrancy and individuality of the traditional kopitiam began to fade. This shift isn’t just sentimental—hard numbers show the actual scale of the change.
From Jan to Oct 2025, 3,357 new retail food establishments were registered, while 2,431 shuttered during the same period.
Among those that closed, 63% had been registered for five years or less, and of that group, 82% had never turned a profit. These figures include small stalls, food courts, cafes, and restaurants, meaning independent operators have borne the brunt of the downturn.
Many stallholders simply chose to close their doors rather than continue running at a loss, including Japanese hawker chain Mentai-Ya.
High manpower costs and difficulty finding workers are key reasons individual F&B businesses struggle to achieve sustainable margins.
In a previous interview with Vulcan Post, Khoo Kheat Hwee, the former owner of Mentai-Ya, estimated that each employee costs S$4,000 to S$5,000 per month. Moreover, strict foreign-worker quotas and levies compounded the challenge.
Under MOM rules, only 35% of staff in the service sector can be foreign workers. For every foreign worker hired, two Singaporeans or PRs must be employed. Khoo described this ratio as a significant operational burden. Levy rates also rise as the number of foreign workers approaches the 35% cap, starting from S$450 per worker.
Foreign staff themselves have also begun demanding higher wages due to rising living and rental costs, pushing expected salaries from S$1,800–S$2,000 to at least S$2,500.
