Kf Seetoh warns against 'egregious contracts' some Singapore hawkers are forced to take

SINGAPORE: On Tuesday (Sep 29), food guru Kf Seetoh raised again an issue that adds to the difficulties some hawkers in Singapore face, even after it received media attention a while back.

On Aug 4, 2025, Mr Seetoh posted on social media, alleging that stallholders at a Socially Conscious Enterprise Hawker Centre (SEHC) were being charged S$70 each month for space at the back of each stall for a blue supplier basket.

According to him, the issue is back.

“That blue box space saga I raised some time ago, where hawkers are charged a monthly fee for their suppliers to place their daily orders in, which sparked such unhappiness… is still there,” he wrote in a social media post on Sept 29.

Mr Seetoh added that this is not the practice in other hawker centres, and called it “Profiteering at best.”

The Makansutra founder has long been a champion of Singapore’s hawkers and hawker culture, and in 2024, highlighted the contractual obligations that they have to endure.

According to him, they are “still at it” even after the issue had been brought up in Parliament.

In his post, he listed the rules that hawkers under a particular management have to abide by, such as access to hawkers’ details, records, and related information; seven-day work weeks from 6:30 am to 11 pm daily; and S$100 fines for closing without prior permission.

He added that these rules are approved by the National Environment Agency (NEA), which is the primary regulatory authority, across government-owned hawker centres in Singapore.

“That same management company now also runs Yishun Park Hawkers Ctr with similar draconian rules. Why the double standards, NEA? What are your guidelines and what are your responsibilities to the people and hawkers?” he wrote.

Pointing out that these are public hawker centres, he argued that they need to “offer some affordable fare and a simple self-employment opportunity for those able to do so,” as “this serves a community need, a public service.”

Mr Seetoh also expressed concerns that this would “kill entrepreneurship of the new hawkers thinking of bypassing the AI onslaught, at least for now.”

For people considering getting a stall at a social enterprise hawker centre, he advised that they ask their lawyer to read the contracts carefully.

“And if you are still cowering under those 30-page egregious contracts, leave; there are better deals at better locations elsewhere,” he added. 

Disclaimer: This piece contains statements and allegations made by Mr KF Seetoh in his public social media post. Claims regarding stallholder charges and contractual obligations are as stated by him and the screenshots he provided. TISG makes no representations as to their accuracy, and does not endorse any opinion expressed. Readers are advised to exercise their own judgment.

/TISG

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