Hotspot for S’poreans in JB Now Becomes ‘Ghost Town’ As Fewer S’poreans Head Up North Now

The Covid-19 coronavirus has claimed many lives and spread fear, but it’s also taken a toll on businesses.

And it’s not just the ones in Singapore.

Many Singaporeans who used to travel to Johor Bahru (JB) for a meal or short holiday now avoid crossing the border for fear of contracting the illness.

As a result, popular food eateries in JB are experiencing a sharp decline in sales, especially after Johor reported its first confirmed case of the virus.

Bakeries

If you visit JB often, you’ve probably heard of Hiap Joo Bakery & Biscuit Factory, the bakery with the fluffiest, most fragrant banana cake on Earth.

The bakery usually has a long line of customers outside its doors, but sales have dipped by at least 50% since the outbreak.

“There is usually a long queue for our cakes at 11am every day, but these days, the line will only last for five minutes,” said Mr Lim Toh Shin, the man who runs the bakery’s operations.

“We now have excess cakes and are unable to sell all that we bake for the day,” he added.

Wasted banana cakes? This has gone too far.

Mr Lim says that the sharp decline can be attributed to fewer Singapore visitors because Singaporeans make up more than half of his total customer base.

“It’s clear because there are markedly fewer visitors on weekends, when most of our customers from Singapore usually come and buy,” he said.

Mr Rahim Khan, operator of Salahuddin Bakery which lies along the same street, has the same problem.

In case you don’t know, Salahuddin Bakery sells freshly baked curry puffs and French loaves.

No sane people can resist curry puffs…or can we?

Unfortunately, due to the coronavirus outbreak, Mr Khan said that business has slowed down by 40 to 50 per cent recently.

Mr Khan believes that the fall in sales can be attributed to people’s fear that they might catch the virus if they travel.

“I can understand the fear. Some of my regular customers from Singapore called and apologised that they are unable to come, but I understand. It would not be worth the journey if they become sick,” he added.

Both bakeries are located near Jalan Dhoby in downtown Johor Bahru. Once a hotspot for Singaporeans with its hipster cafes, traditional Chinese restaurants, and classic bakeries, it is now a “virtual ghost town”, said Mr Khan.

“The virus is definitely to blame. But also, we are suffering now because there has been some construction work to widen pedestrian walkways. This makes it hard for our customers to park”, he added.

Chinese Seafood Restaurants

Another popular food destination for Singaporeans is the chain of Chinese seafood restaurants at Kampung Telok Jawa. Going up north for some nice and affordable zichar is almost a weekly routine for some people, but not anymore.

These restaurants have also seen fewer customers in the last few weeks.

One staff member from Todak Restaurant said that some regular customers from Singapore “have no mood” to eat a luxury seafood meal due to the Covid-19 outbreak.

“I think customers are scared of getting infected. Maybe the whole mood to sit down and enjoy is not the best right now,” he added.

The restaurant is popular for its fresh fish, butter squid and salted egg crab. While customers had to wait in line to be seated in the past, there are no queues at the seafood eatery these days.

This is understandable; even hawkers in Singapore are seeing almost up to 50% drop in revenue.

Pandan Wholesale Market

But it’s not just eateries that have been affected.

If you like to do your groceries across the border, you’ve probably been to Pandan Wholesale Market.

The popular market and food courts nearby have also experienced a sharp decline in customers.

According to CNA, when a stray customer walked by, vendors would approach them and hurriedly hand out their menus.

Ms Dewi Rudyman, who operates an Indonesian stall at one of the food courts, said revenue has dipped by 70% since Chinese New Year.

“I heard from my customers claiming it’s not safe to visit now because you never know if there will be a spread of the (COVID-19). So far, there has been no case reported from here though.”

As of time of writing, here have been 22 cases of Covid-19 in Malaysia, with 17 people discharged so far.

Less Congestion

If you do plan to go to JB though, you’d be happy to know that there has been less congestion at the Causeway over the past few weeks as a result of the outbreak.

A commute that used to take one to three hours now takes around 20 mins.

So, if you’re craving fluffy banana cakes and crispy curry puffs from JB, now’s as good a time as any to go (unless you’re unwell, of course).