The food centre was promoted by the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) as a tourist attraction for sampling Singaporean cuisine.

[7] On 13 October 1976, the Ministry of Environment announced a S$110,000 extension plan to house 32 more hawkers, bringing the total number of stalls to 88.

I was shocked, but a Malaysian tourist standing near me confirmed that he had been treated the same way.The stallholder could have simply said the price was not as stated; I would not have had a problem paying the extra $1.

[12]On 14 October 1994, the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) announced plans to demolish the hawker centre to ease traffic congestion at Newton Circus and develop high-density residential properties.

[14][15][16] On 30 April 2004, Member of Parliament for Tanglin–Cairnhill Indranee Rajah announced the closure of Newton for a major renovation, effectively shelving the plans by URA.

[24] Newton Food Centre gained international attention when it was featured in the 2018 blockbuster film, Crazy Rich Asians.