F&B Owners React To No Dine-In Rule: “I Don't Know Whether To Laugh Or Cry”

But before you chiong to the supermarket to stock up on food again, know that:

● You can still order food for takeaway and delivery

● Bubble tea shops aren’t closed (so please don’t rush to the BBT joints, people)

Nine local F&B owners 8days.sg spoke to mostly expressed that they have already anticipated the tightened measures. “I was prepared for this to happen. I knew it was going to be a phase by phase thing and I was mentally prepared,” says Marcella Tanuwijaya, who owns dessert and kueh shop Ollella. She had already been seeing “a decline in dine-in and walk-in customers” in recent weeks.

Right after the announcement of the new measures, her customers rushed to cancel their orders. “A lot of people just cancelled their big cake orders for their gatherings,” shares Marcella, who offered them the option of a store credit refund, via an online promo code with a three-month validity. She is also giving a discount for takeaway orders and free delivery to entice more customers during the no dine-in period.

Major F&B players like Imperial Treasure and Crystal Jade Group have also indicated they are ready to switch to takeaways and deliveries again. “We will follow restrictions. We have been prepared with takeaways and deliveries since last year,” says a spokesperson for Imperial Treasure.

Meanwhile, Crystal Jade shares that they have, over the past few months, “made plans for possible scenarios such as tightening of restrictions”. The group is now focusing on their delivery, takeaway and click-and-collect options, as well as a range of CJ-branded frozen foods launched last year online and at selected supermarkets. “We are working to ensure that we are well-stocked for the upcoming weeks,” says Crystal Jade’s spokesperson.

Conveyor belt sushi chain Sushiro is directing its customers to order sushi platters for takeaway and delivery via its app and food delivery platforms like GrabFood and Foodpanda while restaurants are closed for dine-in. A Sushiro staff tells us: “But there’s no a la carte menu, only platters.” The chain has also recently opened a takeaway-only shop at Great World City.

Hawkers, like Hokkien mee stall Hokken Man Hokkien Mee in Toa Payoh, have also braced themselves for a surge in takeaway orders. “Last year during the Circuit Breaker [when dine-in was not allowed], all the hawkers panicked and called the suppliers to order takeaway boxes, and the prices of plastic went up. It should be better this time round,” says stall co-owner Alice Lai, who runs the business with her husband Xavier Neo. She is optimistic about the situation, joking: “Now I don’t have to wash plates!"

To ensure people get to order their popular hokkien mee, Alice and Xavier implemented half-hour ordering blocks, each with a predetermined number of slots, for customers to chope their food. “Or else we cannot cope with the crowd. People can order 10 to 20 packs at one go,” says Alice.

But there are also F&B owners who were surprised by tightened measures. Restaurateur Howard Lo, who runs eateries like Tanuki Raw and Standing Sushi Bar, expresses: “We have continued our island-wide delivery even after the original Circuit Breaker, so logistically we are all set, but it’s still a shock at how fast and sudden this new phase is being implemented.” He had been preparing his team for “another lockdown” from early May this year.

“There’s disappointment that we’re entering this situation, but customers have become accustomed to delivery so we’re expecting things to be much smoother as we transition to delivery and takeaway-only,” he says, adding that he is expecting lower sales for deliveries, compared to dine-in. “So we have increased pressure from rental and other fixed costs that were based on dine-in revenue.”

When we call up hotpot chain Haidilao, a staff member tells us she is still waiting for further updates from the company. She says: “According to the news there’s no dine-in, but we haven’t heard from our headquarters about outstanding reservations and alternatives for dine-in. We can still note down your dining enquiries and get back to you once we have an update.”

Ex-Antoinette chef Pang Kok Keong, who is preparing to open a new stall for his Pang’s Hakka Noodles concept after his previous location, Xin Tekka food hall, abruptly closed down, reckons “I don’t know whether to laugh or cry” when he heard about the new measures.

“We weren’t looking into delivery as a priority. We were looking at our retail going smoothly before we launched delivery, but now we have to work the other way around. We will press on,” he says. He is currently setting up delivery platforms for his upcoming stalls, and adjusting his menu to include “delivery-friendly food”.

Chef Pang, who has also joined the F&B company behind local eateries Birds of a Feather, Halcyon & Crane, skewer bar Soho 51 and Sichuanese noodle eatery Chuan Hung as a partner, worked with the company to consolidate all their brands “so it’s easier for customers to order the food from the different eateries, and there’s more variety”.