{"id":93976,"date":"2026-10-18T15:40:59","date_gmt":"2026-10-18T07:40:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/?p=93976"},"modified":"2026-10-18T15:40:59","modified_gmt":"2026-10-18T07:40:59","slug":"fb-businesses-struggle-as-haze-conditions-worsen","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/?p=93976","title":{"rendered":"F&B businesses struggle as haze conditions worsen"},"content":{"rendered":"


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SINGAPORE \u2013 Tekka Centre food stall owner Zaiton Bee had already been struggling with the high costs of running her business before the haze.<\/p>\n

Suffocated by the bad air now, she is considering shuttering the Muslim food stall she has been running for a decade.<\/p>\n

The 73-year-old said she would serve about 500 customers a day before the haze situation escalated. Currently, she gets only about 200 diners daily.<\/p>\n

Half of the seats in Tekka Centre were empty when The Straits Times visited at 10am on Oct 16.<\/p>\n

It was the 12th consecutive day<\/span><\/a> Singapore had registered unhealthy Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) readings since Oct 5 \u2013 the longest continuous stretch of poor air quality the country has had to endure since the 2015 haze crisis.<\/p>\n

This has meant a decline in customer footfall and revenue for Zaiton.<\/p>\n

She said she was pessimistic about whether she could continue running the stall with the lingering haze, her old age, the declining number of customers and $4,000 in monthly costs, including rental, electricity and dish-washing fees.<\/p>\n

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This time of the year, during the lead-up to Deepavali, Tekka Centre is usually packed with families doing their preparations for the festival.<\/p>\n

ST PHOTO: KEVIN LIM<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cNow got no business, it\u2019s very boring. We want to close the shop. If we cannot do business, maybe in a few months or next year we will give up,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n

The Deepavali festive season does not appear to be giving its usual uplift to stall owners at Tekka Centre.<\/p>\n

Muhammad Yusof Syed Mohamed, a marketing researcher who helps his brother run a drink stall there, said footfall has dropped by about 30% since the haze began.<\/p>\n

This time of the year, during the lead-up to Deepavali, the hawker centre is usually packed with families doing their preparations for the festival, which falls on Nov 8 this year.<\/p>\n

But the haze may have contributed to diners staying at home or choosing to eat elsewhere.<\/p>\n

The 43-year-old said: \u201cAbout 40% of the patrons here are the elderly. They are scared for their health, so they are staying indoors as the Government advised them to.<\/p>\n