Ang Mo Kio Ave 1 coffee shop not closing anymore after negotiations, all stalls to remain for now

Sinfoodie coffee shop at Block 215 Ang Mo Kio Ave 1 will not close down after all, with all stalls staying on.

This was after it was reported that it was set to close on Apr. 15.

The operator, surnamed Chen, told Mothership he initially made the decision to close the business due to issues with the outdoor refreshment area (ORA).

However, after informing the stall owners about it on Mar. 30, he and the landlord continued negotiations, and managed to settle the issue amicably on Apr. 6 to allow the coffee shop to continue operating.

Outdoor area issue

After the previous landlord of the premises sold the space, the Housing and Development Board (HDB) conducted the mandatory pre-handover inspection at the end of March.

Chen said that HDB found that the coffee shop did not have a permit for the ORA, and informed him the outdoor area was also required to have a concrete shelter instead of its existing awning.

This was for safety reasons, as the coffee shop operated in a high-rise block more than four storeys high.

The previous landlord was in the process of applying for the ORA permit.

But initially, neither they nor the new landlord, taking over in May, could agree on who would replace the awning, according to Chen.

Setting up a concrete shelter would cost about S$150,000, Chen said.

Peacefully resolved

Without an outdoor area for the coffee shop, Chen felt that his business could not survive as the area was too small.

The indoor space could only sit up to 16 tables, whereas the outdoor area would double this capacity with another 16 tables.

After he spoke to the previous landlord again in early April, they decided to pay for the construction works.

The new concrete shelter is expected to be completed by the end of May.

Without the shelter, there would be no outdoor seating area at the coffee shop.

Did his best to compensate the tenants

It was previously reported that all seven stalls received a 15-day notice to close and vacate the premises.

Chen clarified that this was not accurate, as he had informed the tenants that operations would cease on Apr. 15, but they had more time afterwards to move out by Apr. 21.

He added that, in the notice, he said he would waive everyone's rent from Apr. 1 to 15, refund their deposit in full, and help them to find a new space.

Chen, whose Sinfoodie company runs eight coffee shops across Singapore, offered to let the tenants join his other outlets where there is availability.

He also asked other coffee shop operators he knew to approach them with any offers.

"We actually do our best to compensate the tenants," Chen said.

After it was decided that the coffee shop could stay on, he gave them an option to stay or move out, if they had already found a new space.

Given "all this drama" that the tenants had to go through, he would still waive the rent for the first half of April for everyone, whether they wanted to stay or leave.

Tenants decided to stay

"So far, [all of the tenants] told me they will be staying," Chen said.

This includes the Family Mookata stall, even though they had already found another space.

Stall operator feeling torn

When Fiona, who runs the stall, learnt that their contract at the Sinfoodie coffee shop could continue, she had mixed feelings.

"Our first reaction was a mix of happiness and stress," she told Mothership. "Happy because we can continue building what we’ve started and grow the business, but at the same time stressed because we had already committed to another stall in Ang Mo Kio."

In the end, they decided to stay on with Sinfoodie, and expressed gratitude for the two weeks of rental relief.

"For now, we’ll do our best to push through the next couple of months until things stabilise again," Fiona said, and hoped for their customers' support during this period.

Challenges

The abrupt changes also created complications for another stall, Shiok Stack.

On Apr. 7, they shared on Instagram that they will be staying at Ang Mo Kio, but said that while they felt relieved, "the 'stay' comes with its own set of challenges".

They had already made plans for the move — helping their employees transit to new jobs, and clearing stock — and will now have to adjust their plans.

The owner of Shiok Stack previously told Shin Min Daily News that they would have been sad to leave, as they had established a good relationship with regular customers.

Top images from Shin Min and Shiok Stack's Instagram