Matchmaking food outlets with hungry customers

Singapore

FOOD and beverage companies have been hard hit by Covid-19, and online F&B directory Manyplaces.sg was created in the hope of mitigating the impact.

Launched on April 13 by Novitee and Yellow Pages Singapore, the directory consolidates local F&B businesses offering delivery and takeout and matches them to customers according to their budget and cuisine type.

The idea came about from a phone call between two brothers, Benjamin Yang, managing director of Novitee, and Benedict Yeo, digital director of Yellow Pages.

Mr Yang said: "After witnessing the sharp decline in the F&B industry that we have been serving for the past five years, we knew that technology would be the perfect medium to create an uplift."

Mr Yeo said: "We noticed that Singaporeans wanted to support local businesses and that local F&Bs were rapidly developing takeout and delivery capabilities . . . All they needed was a convenient digital directory to consolidate all customers and F&Bs in a single platform. So we rapidly developed Manyplaces.sg in the hope of matchmaking more local customers to local businesses."

The conversation between the siblings took place on April 6, and the idea was conceptualised overnight.

To-date, the platform has garnered positive responses from over 200 F&B operators in Singapore.

Ong Wei Sheng, general manager of Big Fish Small Fish, said: "I was very excited to hear about Manyplaces.sg. For an F&B operator like myself, it is very difficult for us to reach out to customers. I appreciate what Manyplaces.sg is doing."

Ng Soon Hui, managing director of Hajime Tonkatsu & Ramen at myVillage @ Serangoon Garden & Thomson Plaza, said that the directory is a place where diners can find eateries based on their preferences, and merchants can reach out to more diners. "It is a win-win for both sides," he added.

Manyplaces.sg is free to all F&B businesses looking to be listed and all customers looking for food delivery or takeout options around them.

This initiative hopes to encourage Singaporeans to support local businesses and provide assistance to the F&B sector which has been impacted by the various measures implemented in light of the pandemic.

Mr Yeo said: "While Covid-19 has been challenging, it has also rallied Singaporeans to unite and support local. Manyplaces will continue to embody this spirit by promoting and featuring our local F&B businesses and encouraging Singaporeans to support local."

His brother concurred, adding: "Recent restrictions have pressured F&B businesses to rapidly digitalise, and our current focus is to give them a platform to reach Singaporeans looking to support local. After Covid-19 is over, we will continue to work closely with our F&B partners to integrate their delivery and takeaways platforms, and automate their operations to make it even more seamless."

The platform is supported by National Trades Union Congress's Employment and Employability Institute (e2i).