Dining ban 'unfortunate' for newly opened F&B establishments

THE upcoming month-long ban on dining out will be a setback to food and beverage (F&B) operators, especially for those that had recently opened or expanded with new outlets.

"Even though we anticipated the newly announced tightened measures, they definitely came at an unfortunate time, especially with our opening of Thomson Plaza outlet today," said Lee Haoming, managing director of home-grown coffee chain Huggs Coffee.

"The response for our opening day has been great so far, but we will have to close off all dine-in options as of this Sunday, and that is very disheartening," Mr Lee added. "As a chain, Huggs will also definitely be affected in terms of sales."