SINGAPORE - Starting Wednesday (July 10), all eight restaurants at Jewel Changi Airport's fifth floor Canopy Park will have shorter operating hours.

The new hours stated by a spokesman from Jewel Changi Airport Development are from 9am to 1am (Fridays, Saturdays and eve of public holidays), and 10am to midnight (Sundays to Thursdays). Previously, restaurants on the fifth floor, such as Burger & Lobster and Prive, were expected to open daily from 9am to 3am.

The change, says the spokesman, is in line with the opening hours for the attractions in the Canopy Park - also effective on Wednesday. The attractions will operate from 10am to 1am (Fridays, Saturdays and the eve of public holidays), and 10am to midnight (Sundays to Thursdays).

In addition, the operating hours for selected eateries and food kiosks in Basement 2 of the mall have also been updated, and some will cease 24-hour operations.

On the changes, the Jewel spokesman says: "We have consistently engaged our tenants closely to review operations and the revision in operating hours for selected tenants is a result of the close consultation that we have with them from Day One of opening.

"It has always been one of the objectives for Jewel to offer extended-hour shopping and dining options to cater to tourists, transit passengers, local residents, hotel guests as well as the 50,000-strong Changi Airport community at the airport that never sleeps. The different operating hours across the tenants as well as 24-hour operations at selected food and beverage outlets is meant to support this objective."

Businesses that The Straits Times spoke to say that sales during the wee hours do not contribute much to their total sales, and they can better sort out manpower issues with the shorter opening hours.

Pow Sing Restaurant - which specialises in Peranakan cuisine and chicken rice in the mall's Basement 2 - has adjusted its opening hours to open an hour later, from 7am to midnight daily. A spokesman for the brand says: "Sales has been relatively stable for us with a slight dip in early July, most probably because it is post-June school holidays. However, sales from breakfast and supper contributes to less than 1 per cent of our total sales.

"We are also taking the opportunity during the off-peak period to train staff and improve our food quality and service standards."

Also in Basement 2 is Icenoie Hokkaido, known for its popular Hokkaido soft serve and gelato. It no longer operates 24 hours, and will open from 7am to midnight (Sundays to Thursdays), and 7am to 1am (Fridays, Saturdays and eve of public holidays) from Wednesday.

Mr Thomas Tay - sales director of Japanese cosmetic importer Make Up (SEA), the distributor for Icenoie Hokkaido in Singapore - says that sales from 1am to 7am make up just 8 to 13 per cent of total sales. He adds: "We may evaluate the situation and we have plans to introduce new menu items which will make us consider operating 24 hours again."

Similarly for fast-food restaurant A&W, which revised its opening hours to 7am to 3am daily at the end of May, its management said that it would consider reverting to the original plan of opening 24 hours daily once business stabilises.

However, one restaurant will stay open for an hour longer than the rest of the food outlets on the fifth floor.

Herit8ge, which serves Western cuisine with a local twist, will operate from 9am to 2am (Fridays, Saturdays and eve of public holidays) and 10am to 1am (Sundays to Thursdays), in order to capitalise on its newly obtained alcohol licence that allows the restaurant to sell alcohol till 3am.

Said marketing manager Kelvin Tan: "Business has been good since opening, but due to the delay in the extended hours for the alcohol licence, we usually do not see customers past midnight. Our peak period is usually from 7pm till midnight in the past.

"With the new licence extending hours till 3am, we foresee having customers till late."