Singapore-born gelateria Tom’s Palette to close after 21 years

Singapore-born gelateria Tom’s Palette to close after 21 years The home-grown gelato brand, which opened in 2005, will close its outlets in Bugis and Kovan between mid- and late October. Singapore-born gelateria Tom’s Palette will close its local outlets after 21 years, with general manager Faith Yap saying the dessert business was not generating enough revenue to sustain its operations. Yap announced the closure in an Instagram Reel, saying that although the home-grown business had been “doing better than ever” since she first raised concerns about its future in April, it was still not enough to keep the business going. “I’m sure to many we appear as a very successful business. But the truth is that the dessert industry really only does well for three hours of the day and it’s not enough to pay for the other 21 hours when there’s not enough people,” she said. “We really tried but there are things our individual efforts couldn’t overcome," she said. “It’s hard to be positive about this but let’s just try to make the best out of our time that we have left together." At the end of her video, Yap appeared visibly emotional as she added: “I’m sorry we couldn’t keep this running longer.” Yap also said that the team would be open to speaking with anyone interested in taking over Tom’s Palette and continuing the business. The gelateria’s outlets in Bugis and Kovan will close between mid- and late October, although exact closure dates have not been announced. Tom's Palette is known for its wide variety of sweet and savoury gelatos, and in the lead-up to the closure, the brand will bring back some of its most-requested flavours as part of its Encore Collection. These include Moda Macadamia Nut, Nasty Mix, Soybean You Tiao, Black Sesame Brittle and Mao Shan Wang, a durian flavour. The full schedule of flavours is available on the brand’s website, where customers can also pre-order pints while stocks last. The gelato shop started in 2005 at Shaw Tower by co-founder Eunice Soon, who at the time worked both in the kitchen, making ice cream by hand and churning new flavours, and at the counter, serving customers. According to the brand’s website, the shop initially made about S$30 a day. It eventually built a loyal following, with customers leaving messages of encouragement that the brand kept as a source of motivation. In 2020, the gelato shop moved from Shaw Tower to Middle Road and opened a new outlet in Kovan in 2024. The closure announcement has since prompted an outpouring of disappointment online, with customers describing it as “heartbreaking” and “devastating”. One user called Tom’s Palette their “all-time favourite ice cream store in Singapore”, saying they had visited from their university days through different stages of their life. News of the closure comes amid several recent announcements of food and beverage businesses shuttering, including Fika Restaurant at Kampong Glam and Japanese-French patisserie Pantler. One commenter summed up the sentiment around the closures: “Our hangout spaces are all disappearing, everything is now just takeout, there’s less and less spaces to gather with friends and family and make memories.”