{"id":91823,"date":"2026-10-10T15:10:59","date_gmt":"2026-10-10T07:10:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/?p=91823"},"modified":"2026-10-10T15:10:59","modified_gmt":"2026-10-10T07:10:59","slug":"myth-busting-sehcs-what-really-goes-on-behind-singapores-newest-hawker-centres-singapore-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/?p=91823","title":{"rendered":"Myth-busting SEHCs: What really goes on behind Singapore&#8217;s newest hawker centres, Singapore News"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Ever eaten at Bukit Batok West Hawker Centre, or grabbed a post-pickleball meal at One Punggol Hawker Centre? If so, you&#8217;ve already dined at an SEHC -\u202fSocially-conscious Enterprise Hawker Centre &#8211; even if the acronym doesn&#8217;t ring a bell.\u202f<\/p>\n<p>SEHCs are hawker centres run by experienced F&amp;B operators appointed by the National Environment Agency (NEA). They had previously drawn online criticism, with some alleging that operators exploit hawkers through high rents and hidden costs. But the model&#8217;s actual terms tell a different story.\u202f<\/p>\n<h2>Myth #1: Operators charge hawkers whatever they want\u202f<\/h2>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" frameborder=\"0\" height=\"476\" width=\"267\" scrolling=\"no\" src=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/plugins\/video.php?height=476&amp;href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Freel%2F1648954126873415%2F&amp;show_text=false&amp;width=267&amp;t=0\" allowfullscreen=\"\">\u00a0<\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Not quite. Under the SEHC model, stall rentals are capped at market-valued averages and stay fixed for the entire tenancy term with no surprise hikes mid-contract. Even third-party services like table-cleaning and dishwashing are passed through to stallholders at cost, with operators barred from taking a cut.\u202f<\/p>\n<p>This means that stallholders can price their food affordably. Also, they aren&#8217;t required to work more than eight hours a day, five days a week, even as operators coordinate schedules to make sure breakfast, lunch and dinner are available to the community.\u202f<\/p>\n<h2>Myth #2: NEA has no oversight once a private operator takes over\u202f<\/h2>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" frameborder=\"0\" height=\"476\" width=\"267\" scrolling=\"no\" src=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/plugins\/video.php?height=476&amp;href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Freel%2F1109171995148571%2F&amp;show_text=false&amp;width=267&amp;t=0\" allowfullscreen=\"\">\u00a0<\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>This is probably the biggest misconception &#8211; that having a hawker centre managed by a private operator means NEA steps back entirely, leaving hawkers unprotected. In practice, this is not the case.\u202f<\/p>\n<p>SEHC operators are contractually bound to tenancy requirements and performance targets set by NEA, with regular check-ins to track progress. NEA also conducts frequent site visits, engaging both operators and stallholders directly to understand what&#8217;s happening on the ground, and to step in whenever needed.\u202f<\/p>\n<p>Hawkers also get a formal channel to raise concerns: Hawker Feedback Group sessions are held at least once a quarter, with NEA representatives present.\u202fIssues raised\u202f- from gas costs to tray segregation &#8211; have led to real follow-up action from operators.\u202f<\/p>\n<h2>Myth #3: Operators just collect rent and don&#8217;t value add\u202f<\/h2>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" frameborder=\"0\" height=\"476\" width=\"267\" scrolling=\"no\" src=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/plugins\/video.php?height=476&amp;href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Freel%2F1073785688783569%2F&amp;show_text=false&amp;width=267&amp;t=0\" allowfullscreen=\"\">\u00a0<\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>That &#8220;demanding landlord&#8221; image doesn&#8217;t hold up either. Operators are expected to bring real F&amp;B and operational know-how to the table, curating the food mix, and running initiatives to drive footfall for hawkers.\u202f<\/p>\n<p>Essentially, hawkers don&#8217;t foot the bill for any of these. The cost of engaging an SEHC operator is borne by the government, not by the stallholders.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Operators are required to channel at least 50 per cent of their operating surplus back into the hawker centre to benefit the centre and\/or its stallholders to fund things like cost subsidies, lunch-hour shuttle services, and marketing activities to bring in the crowds.\u202f<\/p>\n<h2>The bigger picture\u202f<\/h2>\n<p>Strip away the misconceptions, and the SEHC model is about balancing two things: keeping food affordable for diners and safeguarding the livelihoods of the hawkers who serve them. Operators do more than collect rent: they shape the food mix and attract customers, all under NEA&#8217;s oversight.\u202f<\/p>\n<p><em>This article is brought to you in partnership with The National Environment Agency.\u202f<\/em><\/p>\n<p>editor@asiaone.com<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<center><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.asiaone.com\/singapore\/sehc-socially-conscious-enterprise-hawker-centre\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Read Full Article At Source <\/a><br \/>\n<center\/><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Ever eaten at Bukit Batok West Hawker Centre, or grabbed a post-pickleball meal at One Punggol Hawker Centre? If so, you&#8217;ve already dined at an&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":91824,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2611],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-91823","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-buzz-headlines","wpcat-2611-id"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/91823","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=91823"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/91823\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/91824"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=91823"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=91823"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=91823"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}