SINGAPORE — Tekka Centre food stall owner Zaiton Bee had already been struggling with the high costs of running her business before the haze.

Suffocated by the bad air now, she is considering shuttering the Muslim food stall she has been running for a decade.

The 73-year-old said she would serve about 500 customers a day before the haze situation escalated. Currently, she gets only about 200 diners daily.

Half of the seats in Tekka Centre were empty when The Straits Times visited at 10 am on Oct 16.

It was the 12th consecutive day Singapore had registered unhealthy Pollutant Standards Index readings since Oct 5 — the longest continuous stretch of poor air quality the country has endured since the 2015 haze crisis.

This has meant a decline in customer footfall and revenue for Zaiton.

She is pessimistic about whether she can continue running the stall amid the lingering haze, her old age, the declining number of customers, and $4,000 in monthly costs, including rent, electricity and dishwashing fees.

"Now got no business, it's very boring. We want to close the shop. If we cannot do business, maybe in a few months or next year we will give up," she added.

Muhammad Yusof Syed Mohamed, a marketing researcher who helps his brother run a drinks stall there, said footfall has dropped by about 30 percent since the haze began.

This time of year, during the lead-up to Deepavali, the hawker center is usually packed with families heading to Little India amid preparations for the festival, which falls on Nov 8 in 2026.

But the haze may have led diners to stay home or eat elsewhere.

The 43-year-old said: "About 40 percent of the patrons here are the elderly. They are scared for their health, so they are staying indoors as the government advised them to.

"The haze affecting businesses is a small thing and for only a few months. But having elderly people in the hospital because of the haze is more serious."

He said the haze came at a bad time as the beverage container return scheme and GST hike to 9 percent have also hit the stall's business.

Drop in customers

Others in the food and beverage industry across the country have also seen a drop in customers.

A Chinese food stall worker at Kovan 209 Market & Food Centre said business could dip by as much as a third on a bad day.

"The customers are going to enclosed or air-conditioned places to eat, or they will cook at home. Who wants to leave their house when it's so hazy?" said the 53-year-old, who wanted to be known only as Ling.

She hopes the government will provide some form of financial aid to hawkers to help them through this period.

Even restaurants that have indoor seating are not spared.

Harry's, which operates about 18 kitchen and bar units across Singapore, said it has seen a sharp drop in footfall — approximately 40 percent.

"We have cordoned off the outdoor dining areas at some outlets, but this has not made a difference as we are not seeing any foot traffic at all," she said.