Restaurant Association of Singapore president wants dining-in cap raised to 8

Singapore

THE Restaurant Association of Singapore (RAS) on Thursday (Nov 18) called for the government to raise the capacity for dining-in at food and beverage (F&B) establishments to 8 people, in order to help the battered industry get back on its feet.

"I must make this one respectful request, that it is perhaps timely to tap not on the brakes, but the accelerator, to increase the momentum of recovery with 8 people dining - for all who are vaccinated and who are medically excused (from taking the Covid-19 vaccine)," said RAS president Andrew Kwan.

The association has more than 500 members, representing nearly 800 brands that collectively run over 5,000 outlets.

"RAS and our members will pledge, as an industry, to do our part to screen and to serve our patrons safely and responsibly," he said at the opening of Restaurant Asia 2021 held at the Marina Bay Sands Expo and Convention Centre.

Currently, the group size limit for dining-in at F&B outlets is 2 fully-vaccinated people, or 5 fully-inoculated persons from the same household.

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In a pre-recorded speech delivered at the opening of the 3-day event, Trade and Industry Minister Gan Kim Yong said the F&B sector is a "challenging" one.

He noted that 1 in 5 F&B outlets get replaced every year, while half of all F&B businesses do not make it past the 4-year mark, even as more entrants join the sector.

"It is thus imperative for new entrepreneurs to plan carefully before starting on your F&B journey," he said, as he announced the launch of a revamped guidebook, titled Turning Passion into Profits, by RAS and Enterprise Singapore (ESG).

The guidebook - a copy of which can be downloaded from the websites of RAS and ESG - has information for F&B businesses, including key elements for long-term success, tips on menu engineering and financial management, and advice from seasoned F&B operators.

"The last 2 years have not been easy for the F&B sector," said Gan, adding that businesses have had to operate with various safe management measures (SMMs) in place, including restrictions on dining group sizes, vaccination-differentiated SMMs, and testing requirements.

"I am grateful that the F&B sector has been extremely cooperative in our fight against Covid-19 by ensuring a safe dining environment for Singaporeans," he said.

"The government will continue to stand alongside the F&B sector during this difficult time. We introduced various support measures, including enhanced levels of support under the Jobs Support Scheme, and rental waivers under the Rental Support Scheme, during periods of tightened SMMs," the minister said in his speech.

He said the government will continue to calibrate the measures as the country journeys towards Covid-resilience, while protecting the vulnerable members of the community.

"We will continue to monitor the situation and adjust the measures as we move along," said Gan. "Though the path ahead may be bumpy, I am confident that if we work together, we can emerge stronger from Covid-19."

Restaurant Asia 2021 is the largest Mice (meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions) event to be held in Singapore since Covid-19 measures were eased.

The symposium and trade show is expected to draw about a thousand visitors on each of its 3 days from Thursday to Saturday.