Teo Heng almost couldn't open in time, feared letting down throngs of eager customers

After two long years of restrictions, one might have thought that April 19 couldn't come soon enough for the folks at Teo Heng. But over at the karaoke chain, it was a mad rush to secure the authorities' approval ahead of their official reopening. 

In fact, the chain almost couldn't open in time, Jean Teo, the director of Teo Heng and sister of founder Jackson Teo told Shin Min Daily News. 

Due to the pandemic, and subsequent restrictions on karaoke businesses, the popular family-style karaoke chain had adapted by renting out its rooms to customers who wanted a private place to work, dine or simply just chill. 

This hadn't been an issue up until recently, when it was announced that all nightlife businesses, including karaoke joints, would be allowed to fully reopen.

For the nightlife establishments that temporarily pivoted to F&B operations, switching back to their original business is a simple process as their licenses will be automatically updated by the Singapore Food Agency (SFA), and they are allowed to resume operations without submitting a fresh application. 

Unfortunately, establishments like Teo Heng, which converted their premises to other uses, require planning permission from URA to convert the premises back to nightlife use. They also need to have the relevant licenses for their nightlife business, such as a Public Entertainment license and a food shop license. 

Additionally, the influx of applications from other similar businesses delayed the process further, Jean said. 

Teo Heng was waiting for URA's approval up till yesterday (April 18), she told the Chinese daily, adding that the chain would have to postpone the opening of their four outlets to another day if they were not able to secure the approval by 5pm. 

And that outcome may have been disastrous since multiple excited customers had already called in to make reservation for their long-awaited karaoke sessions. 

In fact, the influx of calls was so high that the phone lines were jammed, prompting some to physically head down to Teo Heng's outlets in an attempt to secure their karaoke slots. 

Jean shared that she was "touched" by the overwhelming support, but was also concerned about not being able to live up to the expectations. 

"A lot of customers would be disappointed," Jean added. 

Fortunately, it seems that Teo Heng managed to secure its licenses in the nick of time as Jackson took to Facebook this morning to share that the well-loved family karaoke chain has officially reopened. 

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He wrote: "Words are not enough to express how we feel. Teo Heng will definitely continue to give back to everyone! Thank you, thank you, and thank you again!"

Teo Heng's Instagram Stories also revealed throngs of customers and media who had patiently waited outside its Suntec City outlet ahead of its reopening at noon. 

Some excited customers shared that they had managed to snag themselves a coveted karaoke session.

However, others lamented that reservations were already full. 

If you're planning on visiting their Suntec City outlet, which has 19 rooms, you're in for a long wait as the place is fully booked till June, according to The Straits Times. 

The slots at their other outlets are also filling up fast and Jean added that "people have been calling non-stop". 

Future plans

At its peak, Teo Heng had 14 outlets islandwide. Now, just four outlets remain in operation — Suntec City, Causeway Point, Star Vista and JCube. 

The chain is "heavily in debt" due to the pandemic, Jean told Vulcan Post in a recent interview. Nevertheless, she shared that Teo Heng hopes to make a comeback in the east and eventually open more outlets in the central and west of Singapore. 

melissateo@asiaone.com