Dim sum chain Tim Ho Wan to close first Singapore outlet at Plaza Singapura after 13 years

SINGAPORE – Popular Hong Kong dim sum chain Tim Ho Wan will shutter its first Singapore outlet at Plaza Singapura on July 12.

In an Instagram post on June 18, the chain said the Orchard Road branch will be closing as part of the mall’s $160 million redevelopment.

It added that the outlet holds special significance as its first overseas outlet outside Hong Kong, and that customers queued for hours when it opened in 2013.

To mark the closure, Tim Ho Wan Plaza Singapura will host a customer appreciation dinner on July 12. Diners can enjoy a free flow of selected dim sum and beverages for $68 a person.

The event will also feature a live music performance. Guests will receive an exclusive goodie bag containing merchandise and a $30 Tim Ho Wan voucher valid across its remaining outlets.

The chain said it will hold a discount event at the outlet from June 30 to July 12, the final day of operations.

Each day will feature a different Tim Ho Wan dish at 30 per cent off. These dishes include the Pork And Shrimp Dumplings and Steamed Chicken Feet In Black Bean Sauce.

Founded in March 2009, Tim Ho Wan has 39 outlets across the Asia-Pacific, including nine in Singapore. The chain’s Hong Kong restaurant was awarded a Michelin star in 2010.

In response to queries from The Straits Times, a Plaza Singapura spokesperson said the unit now occupied by Tim Ho Wan will be reconfigured to accommodate other retailers that are not in the food and beverage industry, as part of the mall’s upcoming asset enhancement.

The spokesperson said the asset enhancement is also in line with the Urban Redevelopment Authority’s masterplan, which involves converting the stretch of Orchard Road fronting the mall into an urban area exclusively for pedestrians and expanding the nearby Istana Park.