Why Your Neighbourhood Mamak Shop Isn’t Giving Up Yet
BY
LEE RUO HWEE
Admin
Hype Issue #81
Published on:
Dec 26
2025
LEE RUO HWEE explores how provision shops stay innovative in keeping up with the times.
When you walk past an old-school provision shop in your neighbourhood, you are greeted by familiar sights– bread, canned drinks, maybe even that nostalgic eyeglass chocolate – all tempting you to spend your spare change. But let’s face it: these provision shops, or better known colloquially as “Mamak Shops”, have steadily dwindled over the years.
According to an article by The Straits Times, there were over 3,000 of such shops in the mid 1980s. However, only circa 250 remain today.
With supermarkets being the main outlet for groceries for many, how do these traditional Mamak shops stay alive?
Going Digital With Parcel Collection
H3S+, an old school provision shop located in Hougang (Photo credits: Lee Ruo Hwee)
Just a couple bus stops away from Hougang MRT, H3S+ is tucked within the neighbourhood’s heartlands. Proudly owned by Edmund Tay and his wife, Lim Hui Hui, the couple has been running the shop together since 2018.
Mr Tay explained that the business was set up as a way for him and his wife to “slow down” in life, while still continuing to work. This decision was influenced by his declining health, caused by an accident in the past. In addition, he mentioned that Mdm Lim had long wanted to run her own Mamak shop, inspired by the one her grandmother operated at Outram Park years ago.
Along with being a Mamak shop that sells traditional products, H3S+ has adapted to changing consumer needs by doubling as a parcel collection point. For every parcel that is successfully dropped off and collected, the owners earn a commission of twenty cents.
Parcels awaiting collection at H3S+ (Photo Credits: Lee Ruo Hwee)
.
“When it initially started, it was very little everyday. Like ten, twenty pieces,” Mr Tay recounted.
Originally set up as a way to attract more customers, this service proved to be more useful than expected when COVID-19 struck. Mr Tay said that business was “badly affected”, and that parcel collection served as a “lifeline” to them.
“In the second month of lockdown, all of a sudden, there’s a huge surge in all these online [orders],” said Mr Tay, who recognised a change in consumer habits.
H3S+ Meets InstaChef
Despite parcel collection being a sustainable solution, Mr Tay and Mdm Lim wanted to further push the boundaries in what Mr Tay considers to be a “sunset industry”, which refers to a long established sector that is experiencing a decline in profit and success compared to its earlier years (Cambridge Dictionary).
InstaChef, an AI-powered automated food vending machine (Photo Credits: InstaChef)
Earlier this year, in May 2025, Mr Tay and Mdm Lim implemented an InstaChef vending machine at H3S+. InstaChef is Singapore’s first AI-powered automated vending kitchen, aiming to serve chef-crafted, fresh meals to consumers. Found in various tertiary institutions, the machine runs 24/7, with cooked food being served within minutes.
This idea came about when Mr Tay’s customers, who visited the shop to collect their parcels, said that there were limited food options in the area. Many of these concerns typically came from adults working irregular hours.
Mr Tay explained that they started with one InstaChef machine as a trial, with the hopes that his customers would grow accustomed to the concept. He has plans to partner with more vending machine brands, but would like to give InstaChef the opportunity to gain traction among customers first.
Maintaining Traditions
With the inclusion of an autonomous vending machine, striking a balance between preserving tradition and keeping pace with change can be challenging. To tackle this, Mr Tay
and Mdm Lim made the bold decision to renovate their shop, adding a partition to separate the vending machine from the shop area.
“We wanted to keep the feel of the old provision shop but at the same time, we want to bring in new business ventures, new ideas to sustain our business,” said Mr Tay.
“Eventually, we’re not going to survive as an old school mamak shop,” Mr Tay admitted. However, he believes that this is a business risk he has to take. To him, failure is not something to fuss over– what truly matters is the courage to venture.
Beyond the shop’s physical layout, H3S+ has preserved the “Kampung spirit” that Mamak shops are known for. They have placed a table outside the shop, serving as a gathering point for neighbours. On some evenings, the space turns into a wholesome potluck session, fostering a strong sense of community over shared meals.
So, don’t make the assumption that all Mamak shops are your typical old school vendors selling mere groceries and necessities. These staples may be old in name, but with a little bit of innovation, it shows that tradition and modernity can coexist under the same roof.
Give it a try, step inside your nearest Mamak shop, and you might discover something that piques your interest.
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