July 03, 02:00 AM 
514 Chai Chee Lane 03-16, Singapore 469029 As expected, Lau Pa Sat reopened after an incredibly long renovation period by increasing the prices of its food.
The newly-refurbished 120-year-old market-turned-food centre made the June deadline, but just barely: It reopened on June 30 after a facelift that lasted nine months, which was initially scheduled to last two months, at a cost of $4 million.
Kopitiam, which manages Lau Pa Sat, estimated that 20,000 people patronised the place on first day of reopening, as reported in The Straits Times on July 1, 2014.
With brisk business expected, food prices have gone up by 10 percent and more: Thunder tea rice, for example, now cost $5.50 instead of $5.
This is due to the average stall rental going up from $3,700 to $4,700 a month.
On the bright side, the once poorly-ventilated food place can now seat 2,500 people, 460 more than before.
The number of stalls, however, have fallen from 90 to 60.
Lau Pa Sat was closed in September 2013 for what was to have been a two-month renovation.
Repeated delays plagued the revamp, which Kopitiam blamed on "permit issues" and the scale of the project, where the facade of the building had to be maintained to reflect Singapore's past heritage.
Top photo from here
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