Hawker stalls required to operate 24 hours

I heard a radio interview about the social enterprise hawker centers.

One of the condition was that some stalls were required to operate 24 hours, as some of the residents said that they needed food after midnight.

This was crazy.

Sure, they needed food. But are there sufficient business to sustain the operation during the wee hours? It does cost the stall holders expenses to pay workers to work during these hours.

If there were roaring business, there is no need to make it a condition for the rental of the stall. The hawkers would know what to do to tap the business.

As it turned out, there were insufficient business, and the stall holders could not meet the conditions of the lease to operate 24 hours.

This condition had to be removed, after "feedback" from the hawkers.

I am surprised, really surprised, that this condition was imposed in the first place. I am surprised at the naivety of the minister and the officials in charge of this project.

What to do about people who need food after midnight? No problem. Open a package of instant noodles. That is what I do anyway.

I live in a private housing estate. The food outlets close at 10 pm. There is nobody to sell any food to me. Not even if I am prepared to pay two or three times of the normal price.


I also have the option to go to the nearby 24 hour convenience stall. They sell hot food at a higher price. They may not be as tasty as the food prepared at the hawker center, but a hungry person cannot expect too much.

If you want to know why the social enterprise hawker centers is a mess, look at the people running this project.

Tan Kin Lian