Written by Irriena Ezrynn & Mustika Amira
It is no surprise that Singaporeans’ happiness is linked to food. In fact, in a poll by marketing research firm OnePoll, 1,000 Singaporeans aged 18 and above ranked ‘a nice dinner’ and ‘dining out’ among their top 5 favourite simple pleasures.
It has been over a year since the COVID-19 pandemic struck the world. Over that period, the culture of dining out in Singapore has been largely affected, as with many other social activities. With ever-changing restrictions in place, the culture of dining out has slowly evolved.
Before the Covid-19 pandemic, dining out in Singapore was a regular occurrence. In a 2018 poll, 24 percent of Singaporeans dine out daily while 55% said they do so weekly. The plethora of food choices and cuisines also contributes to the vibrancy of the dining out culture in Singapore.
As local Covid-19 cases continued to rise, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong announced the Circuit Breaker, which was later extended. From the initial April 7 2020 to May 4 2020, it was extended by another 4 weeks to June 1 2020. F&B outlets were allowed to remain open with stricter measures in place, but with the government urging Singaporeans to stay at home, there were no signs of people dining out.
F&B businesses had no choice but to resort to social media and digital platforms in order to keep their doors open. Hafeeza Kim, a part-time barista at Starbucks, shared that there has been an influx of customers since Starbucks launched the all-new Star Buddies challenge. Members of the Starbucks app must complete five challenges to stand a chance to win 100 bonus stars, which can then be exchanged for rewards for their following Starbucks orders.
“I feel like more customers are ordering and paying through the Starbucks app now. The sales are also higher now as compared to when dining in was not allowed,” said Kim.
From November 10, dining out in up to groups of five is allowed only for fully vaccinated individuals from the same household. The easing of regulations does not apply to those from different households, which remains at fully vaccinated groups of two.
With over 80 percent of the population fully vaccinated, many Singaporeans take dining in as an opportunity to spend quality time with loved ones, study and work at F&B stores.
Hafeeza said: “Our customers usually dine in for quite long. There are some who study or work at the store and may stay the whole day. There are also families and friends who will chit-chat and dine for hours.”
For Singaporeans who regularly dine out, the dining restrictions have proven to be difficult to keep up with. Mardhiah Binte Mansor, a Year 2 student from Temasek Polytechnic’s (TP) Diploma in Biomedical Engineering, mentioned that the big difference she feels between dining out pre-pandemic and now is that there is “less interaction with each other”.
As fewer people are allowed to dine out together, the usual vibrant environment of dining out in big groups has diminished. However, when asked about how she feels about the dining restrictions, Mardhiah said: “It is for the best (to) keep everyone safe, (including) those who enjoy eating out.”
There are many others who feel the same. Zenys Tan Sze Yuen, a Year 3 student from TP’s Diploma in Marketing said: “I would say that I try to dine out less often to avoid being in close contact with others and also with all the hassle that comes along (when dining out).”
Many agree that although the ever-changing dining restrictions can be a hassle, the measures in place are necessary. Singapore’s dining out culture has certainly changed drastically. Other than the obvious change in environment when dining out, Singaporeans may not dine out as often now and some may prefer to order takeaway food to eat at home.
Regardless, local F&B businesses moving to online platforms seem to be a step in the right direction.
“This (step) is healthy for their operations as well as for us customers. Being able to order food online in the comfort of our homes is great! And at the business’ end, it keeps their operations going,” Zenys said.
As we navigate uncertain times and develop a new normal, there is no telling how exactly Singapore’s dining out culture will further evolve in the future. However, the COVID-19 pandemic itself has influenced F&B businesses to rethink and innovate. Now, there is definitely more dining and ordering options for customers with various needs.
