And this, boys and girls, is why smaller, homegrown Food and Beverage players find it so hard to survive in Singapore.

According to this banner put up by Everything with Fries (EwF), a Singaporean joint known for its unique recreation of burgers, Orchard Central (OC) is asking EwF to give up the space for an international retail brand.

Its last day? Dec. 31, 2015.

It further described the Far East Organisation mall as "dead and empty" when EwF first started five and a half years ago.

EwF has a point.

In a Channel News Asia article ("Tenants at Orchard Central concerned about slow traffic at mall") in Oct. 2009, tenants were complaining about slow traffic at the then spanking new mall, despite its billing of a "one-stop shopping destination for the modern individual, with its range of retail and F&B outlets".

The mall also has Singapore's first indoor rock-climbing wall, a fixture that will totally boost retail sales.

Here's the full goodbye note:

Dear friends and customers,

After having stuck it out at Orchard Central for more than five years, through the early years when this mall was dead and empty and saw the demise of many international fast food players, we are proud to say that today we find ourselves in a position where we have built a great Singapore brand with a loyal following and have outlasted other far more eminent, big brands.

Now that things are finally looking up for us, our landlord said it wants us to give up this space, EwF's first home, for an international retail brand that wants our space. Guess this is what SMEs suffer with their landlords all the time. Realities are harsh for small guys like us.

We have no choice in the matter.

So it is with much sadness that we tell you that our last day here is December 31, 2015. Five-and-a-half-years on. We leave with a heavy heart (not really missing the landlord but we'll certainly miss our fantastic customers.

So from January 1, 2016, please continue to support us at our only remaining EwF at Bugis Junction!

As a recognition of your wonderful loyalty and kind support – we're giving out 10% vouchers for use at EwF Bugis Junction from January 1, 2016.

Probably the only F&B joint that provide food at affordable prices to young Singaporeans.

Check out the F&B joints available at OC.

If you are a young Singaporean on a tight budget feeling hungry while shopping at OC, OC expects you to fill your stomach with bread from Ya Kun Kaya toast and ice-cream from Cold Stone Creamery.

Tenants from the very same mall suffered a power outage for hours just last Saturday, which was caused by a heavy downpour a day before.

And the same downpour also felled a tree in front of the mall.

Good luck to the international retail brand, we guess eh?

By the way, this is the store next door to it:

Related articles:

Fitness chain Pure Fitness announces Apple's first-ever official S'pore store location

17 brands that have passed away in S'pore the last few years, some very quietly

Transit Road shops outside Nee Soon Camp to be demolished end-April 2015, making way for condo

Top photo by Jeanette Tan.

If you like what you read, follow us on Facebook and Twitter to get the latest updates.