How To Set Up A Hawker Stall In Singapore

Roast Meat Stall

Despite Singapore’s small land mass and limited agricultural output, the local food industry is thriving. In addition, Singapore’s signature foods such as rendang, chicken rice, and chili crabs are famous worldwide too.

Recently, Singapore’s hawker culture is even being nominated to be added to UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

Fancy whipping up a good dish or two & selling it? Well, here is a list of what to do before diving into the promising F&B sector in Singapore.

1. Are You Eligible?

To apply for a hawker stall, you must be:

  • A Singapore citizen or a Permanent Resident
  • At least 21 years of age

2. Bid For A Stall

  • Tender period typically starts from 13th to 26th (10.30am) of every month. If the 13th or 26th falls on a weekend or public holiday, the opening and closing of the tender will take place on the next working day.

  • Check NEA’s website on the stalls available for tender. (https://www.nea.gov.sg/corporate-functions/resources/tender-notices)

  • Buy a Tender Form and Submission Envelopes A and B for $10. The forms are available at the NEA One-Stop Information and Service Centre (OSISC). It is located at HDB Hub East Wing, 480 Lorong 6 Toa Payoh, #26-01, Singapore 310480.

  • Fill in the Tender Form and submit it together with the tender deposit (Cheque only) into the Tender Box at OSISC.

You can also check out this step by step guide provided by NEA on how to fill in the application.

Things to note when deciding on your bid (Tender Deposit)

  • Although the Tender Deposit is an amount equivalent to your bid amount, it is not inclusive of prevailing GST and other operating charges (e.g. Table-cleaning charges, Service & Conservancy charges). Do add in these fixed costs on top of your bid when planning.

  • Avoid over-bidding. As of now, NEA’s tender system bases its decision on purely financial terms, whoever offers the highest rental wins.
    However, be warned that you might face a huge financial burden. Many stalls have operated for 1-5 months before terminating their leases.

  • Visit your desired stall in the hawker center to calculate the human traffic and keep a lookout for any competitors nearby.

  • Gauge your bid from past successful tenders. Among all bidding factors, the location of the stall is probably the biggest influence. For example, many hawkers are willing to place a higher bid near the entrance of the food center as seen from past successful tenderers below.

Successful Tenderer List
Source: List of successful tenderers, NEA

The bid also depends on the article of sale.

Successful Tender List
Source: List of successful tenderers July, NEA

For instance, there is a huge difference between poultry ($51) and cooked food ($2280). You can find out more in NEA’s website on the past successful tenderers to help you in your planning.

Tender Notice
Source: https://www.nea.gov.sg/corporate-functions/resources/tender-notices

3. Wait For Bidding Results

If your bid is successful, you will receive a Letter of Offer from NEA three to four weeks after the tender’s closing date to inform you of your scheduled appointment date to sign the Tenancy Agreement.

During the signing of the Tenancy Agreement, you will need to pay for the following:

  • Stall rental for the first month

  • Table-cleaning fees (for cooked food stall)

  • Service & Conservancy charges for the first month

  • Deposit of two months’ rent

  • License fee for up to three years

  • Stamp Duty

Once signed, new tenants are given up to three months to commence operations.

However, if your bid is unsuccessful, NEA will return your tender’s deposit three to four weeks after the closing of the tender.

4. Complete The Basic Hygiene Course (BFHC)

All cooked food stall tenants and their food handlers are required to complete this course which consists of 6 hours of course work and 1.5 hours of assessment under the Workforce Skills Qualification (WSQ).

A list of WSQ course training providers can be found here.

Upon completion, you must then register all your food handlers with NEA here.

5. Apply For A Hawker Licence

After the completion of BFHC and registration of all your food handlers, you are now eligible to apply for a Hawker Licence.

For Government-Owned Hawker Stalls

Submit the following documents at the NEA Service Centre:

  • Your original NRIC, and a copy of it
  • A copy of the tenancy agreement of the stall
  • Basic Food Hygiene Course certificate (for cooked food stalls)
  • Cash or cheque payment for licence fee ($13 per year for up to 3 years)

If you are operating a food stall within a privately-owned food shop (e.g. food courts, canteens), you should be applying for a food stall licence. You can refer to LicenceOne website and search under “food stall licence” for more information.

6. Begin your Hawker Journey

Once you have successfully secured your stall, completed the BFHC course, registered all your food handlers and received your hawker licence, you are finally ready to start selling your dishes. That being said, working a hawker is also not easy.

Unlike having a better work-life balance and working in a comfortable environment, you might have to slave over a hot stove for 13 hours a day compared to a cushy nine-to-five job in a cooler workplace.

However, it is only those who have a passion that has really become successful in this industry. You have to work as hard you can.