From 2026 onwards, all HDB coffeeshops will be required to have budget meals priced at an average of $3.
Senior Minister of State for National Development Sim Ann announced the new requirement at the Committee of Supply (COS) debate in Parliament yesterday (2 March).
She said that the Ministry of National Development (MND) saw the success of the Price Quality Framework (PQF), where new tenders of rental coffeeshops had to provide 6 budget meals and budget drinks.
She noted that operators who tendered for HDB coffeeshops under the PQF provided budget food options of about $3, and the government will be extending the requirement to older coffeeshops that are due to renew their 3-year tenancy from May 2023 onwards.
To begin with, HDB coffeeshops will need to provide 4 budget meals instead of 6, as well as 2 budget drinks in order to renew their tenancy.
She said that this will make the availability of cheaper food options in coffeeshops more certain and pervasive, as coverage of the budget meal regime will be extended to almost half of all coffeeshops and cover all HDB towns by 2026.
Sim added that the stall holders will be offered a rental discount of 5% from their renewal rents for a year, starting from the time the new requirements kick in.
From 2026 onwards, all 374 coffeeshops at HDBs will have budget meals – additionally, there are about 402 other coffeeshops that are owned by private operators.