Haze takes toll on alfresco dining, buskers as foot traffic and earnings fall

Sales at some restaurants have fallen by as much as 70 per cent, while buskers tell CNA of dwindling crowds and earnings as the haze keeps people indoors.

Empty tables at Mexican restaurant Chimi's Especial at 70 Collyer Quay, Customs House on Oct 16, 2026. (Image: CNA)

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SINGAPORE: One of the draws of Chimi's Especial is its view of Marina Bay.

Yet, that same waterfront setting leaves the Mexican restaurant at Collyer Quay particularly exposed to the haze , with 80 per cent of its seating outdoors.

Just one table was occupied when CNA visited the restaurant last Friday (Oct 16) , with much of its outdoor seating left empty during what is typically one of its busiest periods of the year.

The restaurant usually serves between 50 and 70 customers during weekday lunches and 90 to 120 for dinner, while Fridays and Saturdays often draw more than 200 diners a day.

CNA Games Guess Word Crack the word, one row at a time Buzzword Create words using the given letters Mini Sudoku Tiny puzzle, mighty brain teaser Mini Crossword Small grid, big challenge Word Search Spot as many words as you can Show More Show Less "Usually October, November, it gets really crazy. It's the high season for us, and to see it cut by 70 per cent is very painful," said Mr Aaghir Yadav, general manager of Chimichanga, which operates Chimi's. The haze has forced the business to dial back events and promotions, including a planned pet-friendly celebration to mark Mexico's Day of the Dead festival. The event would have featured miniature sombreros for dogs, said Mr Yadav. "But unfortunately, you're not going to see any dogs, or you're not going to see anyone outdoors," he said.

"Usually October, November, it gets really crazy. It's the high season for us, and to see it cut by 70 per cent is very painful," said Mr Aaghir Yadav, general manager of Chimichanga, which operates Chimi's.

The haze has forced the business to dial back events and promotions, including a planned pet-friendly celebration to mark Mexico's Day of the Dead festival.

The event would have featured miniature sombreros for dogs, said Mr Yadav.

"But unfortunately, you're not going to see any dogs, or you're not going to see anyone outdoors," he said.

The restaurant has also been grappling with a manpower crunch, with some employees taking medical leave amid the haze.

While workers who are unwell are encouraged to recover at home, that has put additional strain on the remaining staff members.

Chimi's is not alone.

Across the food and beverage sector, some businesses say sales have fallen by as much as 70 per cent as the haze keeps customers away, while staffing pressures have mounted.

Some operators are calling for government support, including rental relief, to help cushion the impact.

The Restaurant Association of Singapore (RAS) warned that prolonged haze could affect staffing levels, outdoor seating capacities and delivery services.

"The health, safety and well-being of our food and beverage workers remain our absolute priority," a RAS spokesperson said.

The association also urged diners to be patient with any disruptions and continue supporting F&B establishments.

Empty tables at Stella Seaside Lounge at 11 Changi Coast Walk. (Image: CNA)

SOME RESTAURANTS ADAPT

Like Chimi's, Stella Seaside Lounge along Changi Beach has about 70 per cent of its seating outdoors.

The restaurant recorded just 30 customers last Thursday, down from its usual 90 to 120 guests on a weekday.

There has also been a slump in weekend traffic, with only 60 bookings recorded last weekend compared with the roughly 400 guests and 200 reservations it would typically expect.

Sales have fallen by about 60 per cent, but rather than dwell on the downturn, the restaurant is using this period to improve its operations and develop new menu offerings.

"We make use of the time now," said general manager Ethan Chee.

"We work on the things that we need to. We try to make sure that whenever this is over, then we are more presentable than ever."

The end of the Formula One Singapore Grand Prix race weekend on Oct 11 has compounded the drop in customer traffic, according to businesses CNA spoke to.

Operators of indoor dining establishments also say they are feeling the effects as more people choose to stay home due to the haze.

And the impact extends beyond restaurants.

For buskers, whose livelihoods depend on drawing crowds in public spaces, the worsening air quality has made it harder to perform and earn an income.

While they are still taking to the streets across Singapore, many are doing so for shorter periods.

Mr Cliff Lee, a full-time busker of 10 years, told CNA he has cut his usual daily performing hours from four to two over health concerns.

His earnings have similarly fallen by nearly 50 per cent.

"I'm trying to get more indoor locations, but of course it's hard because everyone is trying to snatch it," he said while busking at a spot at Tanjong Pagar Plaza.

He highlighted locations such as Dhoby Ghaut MRT station and the air-conditioned Toa Payoh Bus Interchange as in-demand alternatives amid the haze.

At Orchard Road, one of Singapore's most popular busking locations, performers told CNA that crowds have thinned since the onset of the haze in September, although many continue to perform.

"There are far fewer people now," said busker Michael Lee, who performs regularly at Orchard Road.

"Fridays and Saturdays used to be particularly busy, and Sundays too. But now there are significantly fewer people. I'd estimate that the crowd has dropped by at least half."

He added that his income had fallen by about 10 to 20 per cent.

Busker Robert Tan performing along Orchard Road. (Image: CNA)

Another busker Robert Tan said the haze had affected his stamina.

"Last time, I could do about half an hour without dropping," he said.

"Now (after) three songs, (I) take a break so that I can endure with my stamina and everything."

The National Arts Council has advised buskers and outdoor arts performers to refer to the latest haze readings and health advisories when deciding whether to proceed with, modify, postpone or cancel their activities.

The impact is also being felt by arts organisers.

The Esplanade moved all its outdoor performances last weekend indoors amid the unhealthy air quality readings.

Singer Jill Marie-Thomas said that while the move meant playing to a smaller audience, she was grateful the show "didn't get cancelled totally".

In a statement, the Esplanade said the health and well-being of its crew members, artistes and audience-goers remained a priority, adding that it would continue exploring alternative arrangements to ensure arts programmes can proceed safely when weather conditions require adjustments.

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一些餐馆的销售额下降了高达 70%，而街头艺人告诉 CNA，由于雾霾使人们待在室内，观众人数和收入都在减少。

2026年10月16日，位于哥烈码头70号海关大楼的墨西哥餐厅Chimi's Especial空荡荡的桌子。（图片：CNA）

这段音频由人工智能工具生成。

新加坡：Chimi's Especial 的一大亮点是其滨海湾的景色。

然而，正是由于其临水位置，科利尔码头的这家墨西哥餐厅特别容易受到雾霾的影响，因为其 80% 的座位都在户外。

CNA 记者上周五（10 月 16 日）到访这家餐厅时，发现只有一张桌子有人坐，而这家餐厅的大部分户外座位都空着，这通常是一年中最繁忙的时期之一。

该餐厅工作日午餐通常接待 50 至 70 位顾客，晚餐接待 90 至 120 位顾客，而周五和周六每天通常吸引超过 200 位食客。

CNA游戏 猜词游戏 逐行破解单词 流行词游戏 用给定的字母组成单词 迷你数独 小谜题，脑力挑战 迷你填字游戏 小方格，大挑战 单词搜索 尽可能多地找出单词 显示更多 显示更少 “通常十月和十一月生意会非常火爆。那是我们的旺季，眼看着生意缩水70%，真是令人痛心，”经营Chimi's餐厅的Chimichanga总经理Aaghir Yadav先生说道。雾霾迫使餐厅缩减了活动和促销规模，包括原计划举办的宠物友好型庆祝活动，以庆祝墨西哥亡灵节。Yadav先生说，活动原本会为狗狗们准备迷你墨西哥帽。“但很遗憾，你不会看到任何狗狗，也不会看到任何人在户外，”他说道。

“通常十月、十一月生意会非常火爆。那是我们的旺季，眼看着生意缩水 70%，真是令人痛心。”经营 Chimi's 餐厅的 Chimichanga 总经理 Aaghir Yadav 先生说道。

雾霾迫使该企业缩减了活动和促销规模，包括原计划举办的、以宠物为主题的墨西哥亡灵节庆祝活动。

亚达夫先生说，活动原本会展出狗狗用的迷你墨西哥帽。

“但很遗憾，你不会看到任何狗，也不会看到任何人在户外，”他说。

由于雾霾天气，一些员工请了病假，这家餐厅也一直面临人手短缺的问题。

公司鼓励身体不适的员工在家休养，但这给其他员工带来了额外的压力。

Chimi's并非个例。

食品饮料行业的一些企业表示，由于雾霾导致顾客减少，销售额下降了高达 70%，同时人员配备压力也越来越大。

一些运营商呼吁政府提供支持，包括减免租金，以帮助缓解冲击。

新加坡餐饮协会 (RAS) 警告称，持续的雾霾可能会影响员工人数、户外座位容量和外卖服务。

RAS发言人表示：“我们始终将食品饮料行业员工的健康、安全和福祉放在首位。”

该协会还呼吁食客们对任何可能出现的混乱情况保持耐心，并继续支持餐饮企业。

樟宜海岸步道11号的Stella Seaside Lounge酒吧空桌空置。（图片：CNA）

有些餐厅会做出调整

与 Chimi's 一样，樟宜海滩边的 Stella Seaside Lounge 约有 70% 的座位位于户外。

上周四，这家餐厅只接待了 30 位顾客，而平日里通常每天会有 90 到 120 位顾客光顾。

周末客流量也出现了下滑，上周末仅记录到 60 个预订，而通常情况下，预计会有大约 400 位客人和 200 个预订。

销售额下降了约 60%，但这家餐厅并没有沉湎于低迷，而是利用这段时间改进运营并开发新的菜单产品。

“我们现在要好好利用这段时间，”总经理伊森·奇说道。

“我们努力做好我们需要做的事情。我们力求确保这一切结束后，我们能以比以往任何时候都更佳的形象示人。”

据 CNA 采访的企业表示，10 月 11 日新加坡一级方程式大奖赛周末的结束加剧了客流量的下降。

室内餐饮场所的经营者也表示，由于雾霾导致更多人选择待在家中，他们也感受到了雾霾的影响。

而且其影响远不止于餐饮业。

对于靠在公共场所吸引人群为生的街头艺人来说，空气质量恶化使得他们的表演和收入变得更加困难。

虽然新加坡各地仍有示威者走上街头，但许多人的示威时间都缩短了。

从事街头表演已有 10 年的全职艺人 Cliff Lee 告诉 CNA，由于健康原因，他已将每天的表演时间从通常的 4 小时减少到 2 小时。

他的收入也同样下降了近 50%。

“我正在努力争取更多的室内演出地点，但当然这很难，因为每个人都想抢占这些位置，”他在丹戎巴葛广场的一个地方卖艺时说道。

他特别指出，在雾霾天气下，多美歌地铁站和有空调的大巴窑巴士转换站等地点都是很受欢迎的替代选择。

在新加坡最受欢迎的街头表演地点之一乌节路，表演者告诉亚洲新闻台，自9月份雾霾开始以来，人群已经减少，尽管许多人仍在继续表演。

“现在人少多了，”经常在乌节路表演的街头艺人李迈克尔说。

“以前周五、周六和周日特别热闹。但现在人明显少了很多。我估计客流量至少减少了一半。”

他还补充说，他的收入下降了约 10% 到 20%。

街头艺人罗伯特·谭在乌节路表演。（图片：CNA）

另一位街头艺人罗伯特·谭表示，雾霾影响了他的耐力。

“上次，我大概能坚持半个小时不倒下，”他说。

“现在（唱完）三首歌后，（我）会休息一下，这样我才能保持体力等等。”

国家艺术理事会建议街头艺人和户外艺术表演者在决定是否继续、修改、推迟或取消活动时，参考最新的雾霾读数和健康建议。

艺术组织者也感受到了这种影响。

由于空气质量不佳，滨海艺术中心上周末将所有户外演出都移至室内举行。

歌手吉尔·玛丽-托马斯表示，虽然此举意味着观众人数减少，但她很庆幸节目“没有完全取消”。

滨海艺术中心在一份声明中表示，工作人员、艺术家和观众的健康和福祉仍然是首要任务，并补充说，将继续探索其他安排，以确保在天气条件需要调整时，艺术节目能够安全进行。

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