Local karaoke business Teo Heng has been through a real tough time during this pandemic.
Speaking to Mothership on Mar. 17, 54-year-old Jean Teo, the director of Teo Heng, said that January 2021 was "the lowest point in life" for her.
A time when the long-term future of the company was in constant flux, and faced great uncertainty.
Teo shared that she was disheartened to the point of not wanting to face anyone.
Fortunately, the company managed to come to a compromise with some of the landlords.
Now with the community cases under control, Teo Heng is ready to open (without microphones).
Three outlets to open up rooms for "work, dine & chill" from Mar. 19
Starting from this Friday (Mar. 19), some Teo Heng outlets will open for business again, while of course keeping to the required safe distancing limits.
The outlets at Causeway Point and Bedok Point are opening from Mar. 19 while the JCube outlet will open at a later time.
"No mask, no entry" notice at front counter of Teo Heng outlet at Causeway Point. Cashless payments now available at the outlet. Photo by Zheng Zhangxin.
Teo told Mothership that many F&B establishments now set a limit to the dining period for their customers and so the rooms at Teo Heng can be used for those who wish to spend more time with their friends and families with more privacy.
Those who find working from home unproductive and are in need of space can also use the rooms at Teo Heng.
Birthday decoration in the party room. Photo by Zheng Zhangxin.
If you wish to use the room for a birthday party, Teo said that customers can just inform them in advance as they make the room reservations. Teo Heng will help decorate the room for the occasion for free.
Besides the above mentioned uses, Teo Heng is also exploring other opportunities to make use of the rooms such as for E-sports players to train for competitions.
Added amenities
Teo Heng has also added some free-to-use amenities in these outlets for customers.
Some of the additional amenities include HDMI cables for those who wish to connect their laptop to the TV screen in the room for work or leisure purposes and a ring light with a stand for those who wish to conduct live-streams.
Ring light available for live-streamers to use. Photo by Zheng Zhangxin.
Customers can still bring their own food and drinks, and prices for canned drinks at Teo Heng remain at S$1.
In addition, there is also a microwave oven in the outlet and some pre-packed food items from the Select Group for those who stay late in the rooms.
"Customers can give us feedback so that we can serve their needs better," Teo added.
Teo Heng is working with the Select Group to provide pre-packed food to those who stay in the rooms till late hours. Photo by Zheng Zhangxin.
Rates start from S$4/hour/room
For those who are interested, here are the rates of respective room sizes:
Small room: S$4 (happy hours), S$6 (peak hours)
Medium room: S$6 (happy hours), S$8 (peak hours)
Large room: S$8 (happy hours), S$10 (peak hours)
Party room: S$15 (happy hours), S$18 (peak hours)
The rooms are available for booking between 10am to 1am. Peak hours start from 7pm to 1am.
Teo explains that all Teo Heng's management hopes to achieve is to earn enough to pay rent and workers their salaries during this period.
Here's a poster of all the details:
Poster courtesy of Teo Heng.
Top image: Poster courtesy of Teo Heng, photo taken by Zheng Zhangxin