Another limitation under current rules for residential premises is that shopfront signage, which could attract walk-in customers, is forbidden — much to Chia’s consternation. During her opening week, she was advised by CNA’s producers to bring her signage indoors.
“I wanted people to sometimes walk past … and realise there’s coffee and matcha here. I’ll just keep my doors open,” said the barista. “But I also hope that for home-based businesses, (the authorities) won’t be so strict (with) us.”
BEING MINDFUL OF NEIGHBOURS
As the authorities do not actively monitor home-based businesses, enforcement typically begins with neighbours’ complaints. Ng, the private dining chef, learnt this early when his neighbours objected to him barbecuing meat in the common corridor.
Town council officers stepped in, and he had to adapt. Today, he cooks in his utility room, using a makeshift vent to redirect smoke and adjusting the barbecue process too.
“Hot and fast barbecuing will create a lot of fire and smoke, so I designed … a low and slow approach, which requires a longer time,” he said. His pork ribs, for instance, take four hours to cook.
