Chinatown Food Street closes, business hit badly by lack of customers amid pandemic

[SINGAPORE] Chinatown Food Street has closed for good after 20 years, the latest business victim of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Opened in 2001 as part of the Singapore Tourism Board's efforts to revitalise Chinatown, it boasted a cluster of popular hawker food carts along a 100m stretch of Smith Street that was closed to vehicular traffic.

Although it drew crowds in the beginning, it lost its sizzle after a few years and was closed in 2013 for a S$4 million overhaul, including building a roof to protect diners from inclement weather.

It reopened in early 2014 with 24 stalls and new operator Select Group, which runs the Peach Garden Chinese restaurants and chain of Texas Chicken eateries.

The iconic food street switched off its lights for the last time last Friday (Oct 22) with just two stalls left standing.

A Select Group spokesman said the company could not continue with operations any longer because there were "no tourists or local crowd" and the tenants were not paying the rent.

Before it closed, the street featured stalls like Famous Eunos Bak Chor Mee, King of Fried Rice, Tiong Bahru Meng Kee Roast Duck, Katong Keah Kee Fried Oysters, Siam Square Mookata and Boon Tat BBQ Seafood.

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