2025 in Logos: The Brands that Fell
Time to say goodbye 😔
2025 has been a brutal year for the food and beverage and entertainment industry. Although these brands survived the pandemic, they may have been walking dead throughout this decade in hindsight, with increased rental costs or declining customer bases delivering the terminal blow.
Let’s look at some of the brands that went dark this year.
Ka-Soh
This 85-year old zi char restaurant closed its final outlet at Greenwood Avenue in September. Best known for its Michelin Bib Gourmand-winning Cantonese-style fish soup, third-generation owner Cedric Tang attributed the closure to a proposed 30% rent increase under a new lease agreement that he chose not to sign.
Ka-Soh was as much a heritage brand as it was a modern one. Its Greenwood Avenue outlet featured a striking exterior: a large golden door against a bronze backdrop. Beside the door was the logo which resembled how shop keepers used to paint brand names on shophouse columns. It was a shopfront that turned heads.
While fans can still get their fix through Ka-Soh’s delivery-only fish broth packets, the physical space where regulars used to drink tea and 傾偈 (chit-chat) is lost, at least for now.
Burp Kitchen & Bar
Iconic park, iconic glasshouse. Family-run western cafe Burp Kitchen & Bar closed its Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park outlet in June, just three years after moving from Bedok Reservoir, where they first built their reputation over eight years.
From sinful burgers to fluffy tacos, Burp Kitchen & Bar gave patrons a space to unwind away from the crowd, despite being located in one of the busiest towns in Singapore. The restaurant also functioned as an events venue for weddings and birthday celebrations; after all, the panoramic view of the park made for a picturesque backdrop.
Another western restaurant has since taken over the glasshouse, but the memories of Burp Kitchen & Bar will live on in photos and videos of those who celebrated their happiest moments there.
The Projector
It came as a shock when independent cinema and arts venue The Projector announced its immediate closure in August, just weeks after “returning to its roots” at its original Golden Mile Tower home.
In 11 years, The Projector built a community of cinephiles, art lovers and the counter culture folk. It held cult screenings, played host to drag shows, and had a social media feed best understood by the chronically online.
Its cinema halls at Golden Mile Tower each had quirks, from beanbag seatings at The Redrum to original 1970s flip-up wooden seats at The Green Room. But the most Instagrammed place was the cinema’s spiral staircase at the foyer.
In 2023, it partnered Golden Village to take over the cinema space at Cineleisure Orchard vacated by Cathay Cineplexes (which also closed this year), where they screened both mainstream and alternative films. The Projector made an indelible mark on the venue by dolling it up the only way it knew how - a cocktail of kitsch and retro, showing moviegoers that the cinema experience can be more than what is simply shown on screen.
The Projector had been honest with their financial woes in the past few years, explaining their struggles each time they raised membership prices in recent years, but sometime this year the numbers just did not make sense any more. Its departure is a profound loss for the local arts scene.
Cathay Cineplexes
Giants are not immune to business failures too. Cathay, which once owned Singapore’s first skyscraper (of which only its art deco walls still stand today outside The Cathay), operated 75 cinemas across Singapore and Malaysia at its peak.
Throughout its 85-year history, it was a pioneer. It was the first to screen Western films, the first to introduce an open-air drive-in cinema in Jurong, and it operated Singapore’s first air-conditioned cinema.
In 1990, Cathay launched The Picturehouse, a dedicated space for arthouse films. Aimed at an upmarket audience, the cinema boasted better lighting, piped-in music, and a strict no-food-and-drink policy. Although it closed in 2000, it made a return in 2006 as a dedicated hall within The Cathay.
Despite Cathay’s acquisition by mm2 Asia in 2017, it failed to grow and the curtains finally fell in September.
Despair or Hope?
A more conservative and kiasu outlook might point to these closures as proof that one should not become an entrepreneur in Singapore. That lesson could not be more wrong.
Many of these businesses touched lives, created legacies that inspired others, and showed what is possible in Singapore regarding design and innovation. These efforts should be celebrated.
Every founder knows about the risks involved when they take the first step in creating a business. But experiencing the thrill of creating a brand is to know one is alive. When these founders are ready to strike out again, they should take comfort in the lessons learned from their previous ventures to position themselves for even greater success.
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Branding Singapore is a series which highlights notable local brand identities. Explore Singapore’s design scene with us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn, and Telegram.
