For seven decades, the kopitiam had survived the Second World War and endured the triad-infested streets and red-light district of the sixties. But even so, it could not defeat the rising rental cost and flexing financial muscle of the big players. Other traditionalkopitiams are facing the same challenges too, such as the 70-year-old Hua Bee coffee shop at Tiong Bahru and North Bridge Road’s Heap Seng Leong.