Since this article was published on 27th May 2020, more F&B businesses have closed as the Covid-19 pandemic continues to take a toll on businesses everywhere.
As the restrictions on the Conditional Movement Control Order (CMCO) are starting to loosen, F&B eateries can now resume dine-in service as long as they follow the stringent CMCO conditions and standard operating procedures.
Crowds are starting to form in restaurants but many are still wary about the risks of eating in crowded areas. Although business seems to be picking up for F&B owners, unfortunately, there are some who have already shut their doors for good before the restrictions were lifted.
1) Strawberry Fields Cafe, Subang Jaya
In a post sighted on social media, it was said that the iconic Strawberry Fields Cafe located in Taipan, Subang Jaya has closed its doors on 14th May 2020.
2) Restoran Kok Thai, Ipoh
As reported in our previous article on well-known businesses that have closed due to Covid-19, Restoran Kok Thai is a popular seafood restaurant among both locals and tourists located at Bandar Baru Medan Ipoh appears to have closed for good.
3) WhupWhup, Subang Jaya
After 4 and a half years of sharing amazing food and joyful moments, the WhupWhup team announced the permanent closure on their Facebook page on May 11. However, they’re not putting the entire blame on the Covid-19 pandemic as the reason for their shut down.
4) Sitka Restaurant and Sitka Studio, KL
After making the tough decision to not renew their lease, Sitka Restaurant and Sitka Studio located in Kuala Lumpur will be shutting down. Sitka restaurant will be closing its doors and switching off the cookers for the last time on Sunday 31st of May, while Sitka Studio will close on 31st August 2020.
5) Dill’s Restaurant, Shah Alam
Based in Shah Alam and famous among the locals as a late night spot to hang out and chill, Dill’s Restaurant just posted on May 12 that they’ve closed their doors officially without stating a reason. Just like the previous F&B outlets, it’s likely due to the Covid-19 pandemic as the reason for closure.
6) Bubble Tea Shops, SS15
Widely known as ‘Boba Street’ in SS15 where there used to be long lines and cars filling up the whole street, the boba shops in SS15 are now shutting down one by one. However, after about two months of the MCO, roughly half of the 15 or more outlets on ‘Boba Street’ had to close their doors for good with many plastered with ‘To Let’ or ‘For Sale’ signs.
7) Hometown Steamboat Restaurant, Setapak
Don’t worry as Hometown Steamboat Restaurant has only decided to close their Setapak outlet and still operate in other locations including outlets in Kepong, Kota Damansara, PJ SS2, and Seremban. Furthermore they’ve also launched their online steamboat business where you can get their dishes delivered straight to your door!
8) Restaurant See Kong Ooi, Penang
Open for more than 80 years since 1936, Restaurant See Kong Ooi has unfortunately closed for good, leaving many people who frequent the outlet disappointed.
9) Teo Soon Loong Restaurant
Teo Soon Loong Restaurant which began serving authentic Teochew dishes in 1982 will officially close on the 31st of May.
10) Softsrve @ Plaza Arkadia, Desa Parkcity
Initially scheduled to close their doors officially on 13th December 2020, thanks to great support by fans, their closing date has been pushed back a month to 17th January 2021. Since the MCO started in March, the team were completely unprepared as they faced zero sales for the first few weeks as they were not ‘delivery’ ready. Although things slowly picked up once they were delivery ready, they couldn’t sustain their costs and had to shut down the outlet.
If you’d like to support the brand one last time, you can get their ice-cream delivered to your doorstep via softsrve.beepit.com if you live within a 10km radius to Plaza Arkadia.
11) Signature Fei Fei Crab Restaurant
The closure of Signature Fei Fei Crab Restaurant was quite controversial as many people were not happy with it, especially those who have previously purchased coupons and are now unable to redeem their cash vouchers. Furthermore, according to The Star, hundreds of investors, suppliers and workers of the restaurant are still waiting for answers from the company, which closed down in September, after it failed to pay them their dues.
Do note that Signature Fei Fei Crab Restaurant and Fei Fei Crab Restaurant are separate companies, despite sharing the same name “Fei Fei Crab”. For those wondering, Fei Fei Crab Restaurant is still operating as usual.
12) Ben & Jerry’s Malaysia
Just over a year of opening its first store in Malaysia, Ben & Jerry’s Malaysia has unfortunately announced their exit after careful consideration and the challenges of operating in the country during a global pandemic.
Ben & Jerry’s Malaysia has only one outlet open in Sunway Pyramid launched back on 2nd September 2019, where they treated sweet-toothed Malaysians with 10,000 free scoops of ice-cream to commemorate the grand opening.
13) Shops In Sri Petaling
What used to be a spot full of restaurants and cafes has now become an area filled with ‘For Sale’ signs. Here’s a list of F&B shops that have closed in Sri Petaling:
- Bao Hei Tang 豹黑糖 – Sri Petaling
- 猎户堂The Hunter Sri Petaling
- Colobaba卡乐巴巴 Sri Petaling
- Liang Sandwich Bar & Ages Ago Sri Petaling
- LIANG Crispy Roll
- OK Mart Malaysia
- Black Daruma
- Radioactive
- Tron Mobile Century
- Health Seeders
- 橋林重慶火鍋 Chiow Lin Steamboat Restaurant
- Yu Tao Xuan Restaurant 玉桃軒海鲜酒楼餐厅
- Samir Mee Tarik
- Twenty5
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