Bedok North coffee shop offering S$2,500 rent for stall but no takers, losses amount to about S$1 million

A coffee shop in Bedok is reportedly experiencing low footfall and poor business.

The owner of MunCheng Coffee Shop, located at Block 510 Bedok North Street 3, apparently accumulated losses of about S$1 million since he took over the business in 2024, Shin Min Daily News reported.

Only four out of 10 stalls — a drinks stall, an economic rice stall, an Indian food stall, and a pastry stall — have been rented out and are operational.

According to Shin Min, the monthly rent for each stall is about S$2,500.

Lack of customers

Li (transliterated), a 30-year-old who runs the economic rice stall, told Shin Min that many stalls close after only a few months of operation.

He attributed the closures to the inability to sustain the business rather than the rent.

Li cited the lack of customers but “can’t explain why nobody comes”.

The pastry stall owner, who remained anonymous, told Shin Min he had operated his stall for about two years.

He claimed that business in 2026 had dropped by about 40 per cent compared to the previous year.

“We’re barely making ends meet, and it’s not just here. Other coffee shops and hawker centres nearby aren’t doing well either,” he reportedly said.

Losses

Chen, the owner of MunCheng Coffee Shop, told Shin Min that the coffee shop has been operating for about two-and-a-half years.

Half of the stalls were apparently already vacant when he took over.

Chen reportedly invested over S$500,000 in renovations.

He claimed that he chose the location of the coffee shop as there were nearby flats and a market.

Chen apparently thought that there would be footfall.

However, he did not expect the stall turnover rate to be high, and now he hoped to rent the stalls out “as soon as possible” to reduce losses.

Chen reportedly revealed that he lost money every month for the past two years, totalling about S$1 million.

To reduce operating costs, two employees from the drinks stall were apparently laid off.

Chen said everyone was cutting costs as “the market was bad”.

“At our peak, we had six employees, but we've been laying off staff one after another, and now we might only have two left," he said.

A tenant at another coffee shop said the area is increasingly becoming more aged, with more seniors around.

The Kaki Bukit 511 Market & Food Centre, a stone's throw away, has been experiencing fewer diners over the years, especially after the pandemic, a stall tenant there said.

The reason for the decline was not clear though.