OldTown White Coffee's last Singapore outlet at Kallang Wave Mall to close after Oct 11

OldTown White Coffee will close its last remaining cafe in Singapore on Sunday (Oct 11), ending an 18-year run for the Malaysian chain's restaurants here.

The halal-certified outlet at Kallang Wave Mall has operated for more than 12 years.

"After more than 12 years of serving our valued customers at OldTown Kallang Wave, we would like to announce the permanent closure of our outlet," OldTown White Coffee Singapore said in a social media post on Oct 2. 

"We are truly grateful to everyone who has supported us throughout these years – for every visit, every cup of our signature OldTown White Coffee, every meal shared, and every kind word."

OldTown White Coffee traces its roots to Ipoh, a city closely associated with Malaysian white coffee. The OldTown brand was established in 1999, selling its blend of instant 3-in-1 white coffee. It eventually expanded to cafes modelled after traditional Ipoh coffee shops. 

Its cafes are halal-certified and serve its signature white coffee alongside Malaysian dishes and kopitiam staples such as nasi lemak, kaya toast, Hainanese chicken rice and noodles.

OldTown entered Singapore's cafe market in 2008 and eventually grew to around 10 outlets at its peak, with locations including Cineleisure Orchard, Square 2 Novena, East Coast Park and Changi Airport. The Kallang Wave Mall restaurant is currently the chain's only remaining cafe in Singapore. 

"Thank you for being part of our journey and for making OldTown Kallang Wave a special part of ours," the company said. "While this chapter comes to an end, we hope our paths will cross again at one of our OldTown outlets across the region."

OldTown's departure comes amid a string of F&B closures in Singapore, including hawker stall Golden Mile Special Yong Tau Foo, bar and grill Dan's Steaks, halal steakhouse Tomahawk King and Swedish cafe Fika. 

However, while the Kallang Wave outlet marks the end of OldTown's current cafe presence in Singapore, the company has left the door open to returning.

In response to comments on Instagram, the brand said it would "continue to evaluate opportunities as part of its long-term business strategy" and did not rule out reopening in Singapore if a suitable opportunity arises.

CNA Lifestyle has reached out to OldTown White Coffee for further comment.