Screwing the F&B Businesses in Singapore

Lately, we read about many F&B businesses shutting down because of competitors from overseas, staff shortages, or soaring rents.

When I look back at the quality of my meals, I think these F&B businesses need to reflect on themselves.

For years, i paid a lot of spectacles at local opticians, and at one stage I needed to go JB to get specs for less than $100. Now I make cheaper specs at Lenskart and Ownsdays (cheaper than JB if I am not fussy about the frames).

Likewise, I thank Mixue for giving me cheap BBT and big $1 ice-cream while my local brands charge me double. Even premium imports like Chagee use better tea-leaves compared to local brands for the same price.

When I pay $4.50 for my chicken rice and the chicken meat was flatted before slicing. Even if they give me double serving for the meat, it will only them less than $0.50 but they wouldn't. For those of us, who are willing to pay local F&B operators more, the culinary standards are also not as good these days.

These folks don't understand the fundamentals of food business - letting your customer eat well don't cost you much. Even my $5 macdonald's value meal come with a meat patty, fries and drink. I thank McDonald's.

Many are not honest to begin with. While some F&B bosses can't get manpower, many others resort to artificially inflating their EP and S-Pass employee's pay when they don't have sufficient work-permit quotas. Doing so can help them to reduce their income taxes, and get kick-backs from their staff. win win

Then our own country also screws them, went on to invite big players like HDL into Singapore, hoping that their founders will move to Singapore and list here. We went on to grant them unlimited foreign staff quota in earlier days.

Next, the big boys get government grants and subsidies. With such advantages and central kitchen, their costs are lower than your average sole-proprietorship F&B players.

Lastly, some individuals went on to operate as restaurant or private-chefs from homes, causing sewage chokes, rats and roaches issues.

Best Buffet Deal in 2025!!!

Can eat, don’t waste

In the past few years, Singapore has seen a mushrooming of Chinese-owned businesses—restaurants and retail outlets that seem to appear overnight.

When Chinese coffee chain Luckin Coffee entered Singapore in 2023, for example, it opened 32 self-operated stores here within its first year.

Collectively, the number of Chinese F&B outlets in Singapore has more than doubled within the past year, surging past 400 outlets across the island.

https://www.ricemedia.co/malatang-mixue-taste-of-changing-singapore/