We're Back In the Dining In Business!
image credits: The Straits Times
In a move that led to much celebration across F&B establishments everywhere, it was announced that dining-in at F&B outlets will resume from Aug 10, only for fully vaccinated people in up to groups of five as Singapore announced a two-step easing of COVID-19 measures.
The current group size for social gatherings will also be increased from two to five from Aug 10, said the Ministry of Health (MOH) in a press release on Friday (Aug 6). Households will similarly be able to receive five distinct visitors per day.
This led to much rejoicing everywhere, including for F&B operators such as Mr David Gan of The Tipsy Collective. "This was a part of the discussions that I had with my business partners," he said when contacted, in a mood that suggested that the team had thought about this matter with much trepidation and caution. "We were hoping that the government would open earlier than what we thought, because of the low expectations they had given us before. However, if the government is going to truly fight the virus, using the current methology of pushing forth vaccinations, this is the way to go."
When asked about what advice he would give to the team and fellow F&B operators, Mr Gan was cautiously optimistic. " Every member of the F&B industry I know is striving to survive," he said. " We are constantly on our feet looking to do better by the customer in terms of service. After this period of time, we hope that this situation for the F&B industry would stabilise. Every time there is a lockdown, the uncertainty doesn't just affect the business owners, but also the employees. It is up to our fellow F&B operators to show our staff that no matter what the government sets, we are going to work together to build F&B in Singapore back to where it was."
He is, like fellow members of the F&B operators, continuing delivery and takeaway options in the meantime. "The recent periods have shown that the digital arm of the business is not just during the pandemic, but has to be constant, where we need to have a digital arm goes beyond retail. If you compare the first Circuit Breaker, as well as the recent times, the creation of the digital brand has convinced us that it should stay. It's a consistency that has to be built, for the sake of our consumers and our clients to boot. To keep this revenue open, it helps our clients enjoy our food, Ultimately, this branch of business is here to stay."
