“Huh that hawker stall going to shut down already ah? How come?”
I genuinely hope that these words won’t be used to strike up casual conversations anymore.
With increasing hawker stalls going out of business for reasons ranging from high costs in rent to non-existent successors, the future of the hawker industry seems bleaker than ever.
Thankfully, though, there appears to be a glimmer of hope behind the stalls’ rusty shutter gates, as it seems like the rest of Singapore share the same sentiments as I do. Despite the rocky roads ahead, it is heartening to see that we are not preparing to turn our backs on the problem.
Keeping the Hawker Culture Alive
Do you know that Singapore has its own Hawker Centre 3.0 Committee?
Set up by the Ministry of Environment and Water Resources (MEWR) in 2016, the committee aims to review and offer possible solutions on the future of new hawker centres. Other than the grand vision of opening 20 new hawker centres by 2027, many emerging initiatives seem to promise not just the sustainability, but a possible evolution of our beloved hawker centres.
Newly Revamped Hawker Centres
An important goal of the Hawker Centre 3.0 Committee is to ‘improve the vibrancy of these spaces’, which brings us to this.
The Fareground in Pasir Ris Central
Source: The Straits Times
The fresh face of the newly-opened hawker centre in Pasir Ris Central is a heartening symbol of hope for this fast-disappearing trade.
Designed to “inject new energy into the local street food scene”, it is the first hawker centre in Singapore to incorporate modern ‘hipster’ themes, with the aim to attract trend-seeking customers. The ground floor serves traditional hawker food such as chicken rice while the second floor, The Fareground, offers hawker food with an innovative twist, breathing new life into hawker culture.
Since it is undeniably challenging to expect all new-generation hawkers to whip up dishes that completely follow 40-year-old recipes, this rebranding of hawker centres can appeal to their creative minds.
Offering Cashless Payment Options
Besides revamping the centres, another initiative to boost the hawkers’ productivity is the implementation of e-payment platforms.
Customers utilising cashless payment at hawker centres
Source: The Straits Times
From September 2018 onwards, up to 12000 stalls at hawker centres, coffeeshops and canteens will be supplied with a hardware that can accept 20 different sources of e-payment, easing financial transactions.
Besides minimising the hassle of calculating the earnings at the end of the workday, this additional convenience allows customers who have grown used to the cashless lifestyle to opt for dining at hawker centres, thus boosting the businesses of hawkers. It is truly a win-win situation for all.
Breeding New Generation of Hawkers ― On Fertile Grounds or Not?
Other than the appointed committee, many others are also joining in the movement.
In 2015, Fei Siong Food Management launched an entrepreneurship programme in which retired hawkers were paired up with budding entrepreneurs to mentor them in starting their businesses.
As much as these initiatives spell good news, the unfortunate reality is that the small scale of the programmes necessitates that they remain niche with limited vacancies, rendering the efforts insufficient. Turns out, an overwhelming response left 60 hopefuls competing for a mere 18 spots, leading to the programme being suspended.
Yet, despite the endless hurdles, we are still striving to keep our favourite satays grilling.
In July 2017, ITE College West launched a brand new course providing practice-oriented training for aspiring hawkers. Students who enrolled in the course will be taught useful hard skills such as learning to seek for the best suppliers.
This step in unifying current hawkers and potential ones signifies a crucial turning point for the hawker business, as it has now become a skill in demand instead of a tradition that has lost touch with younger Singaporeans.
Cheap Food but High Costs
Another major concern will be the high-cost and low-profit business structure of some hawker centres, such as the Social Enterprise Hawker Centres (SEHC). With rental costs of up to $4000 per month and a focus on providing low-cost food, the trade is simply made unsustainable.
Financial support seems to be coming their way, though. In 2017, it is announced that the government will be setting aside $90 million to support the hawker industry. For instance, it will be co-funding up to 70 per cent of the costs of initiatives such as centralised dishwashing services, in a bid to increase hawkers’ productivity. The time saved can thus be used to garner more business, hopefully alleviating the problem of low profits.
First Step is the Right Step
I admit that it is still long before we can complete this quest in saving our hawker culture.
Yet, we cannot turn a blind eye to all that has been done to address relevant concerns and increase awareness of the cultural significance of hawker centres, which are proudly reflected in the evolution of some hawker centres today.
At the end of the day, I believe that the first step is already the right step, and one that is enough to keep the flames burning under the woks, right in the centre of our universe.
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