Recipe for surviving the F&B industry

SINGAPORE's food and beverage industry might be a vibrant and thriving scene, but it is also famously fickle and competitive. New restaurants pop up every other week - but many also shut down.

"When it comes to F&B, Singapore is the toughest market to crack," declares Sebastian Low, Singapore CEO of Malaysian restaurant chain PappaRich. "Before I came in, nine out of 10 people told me not to venture into Singapore because of the challenges faced here. But I had confidence in the brand as I personally like it."

For Mr Low, failure was not an option. "If we don't make it in Singapore, it means we are not international at all. That is why we have to prove ourselves in Singapore," he explains.