F&B operators prepare for more diners from March 29, but fret over labour crunch

Restaurants are dealing with a surge in bookings of up to 10 diners from March 30, the first day when the easing of Covid-19 rules takes effect.

Reservations came in immediately after the announcement was made on March 24. These included a mix of new bookings for more than five diners, as well as add-ons in numbers for existing bookings.

Since then, restaurants have been busy preparing, rostering and hiring more manpower, ordering ingredients and reconfiguring seating layouts.

Grand Hyatt Singapore's StraitsKitchen restaurant, popular for its Ramadan dinner buffet which starts on April 3, has seen a 15 per cent increase in bookings within the first few hours of the announcement, said Mr Sebastian Kern, the hotel's director of food and beverage.

The hotel's other restaurants - mezza9 and 10 Scotts - also received a flurry of bookings.

Another halal-certified restaurant - 21 on Rajah at Days Hotel Singapore At Zhongshan Park - has received many inquiries for birthday parties during Ramadan, as well as weddings and anniversary celebrations after the fasting month.

The dining area of the 160-seat restaurant will be reconfigured to include more tables that seat eight to 10 diners.

Mr Reuben Chua, 37, chief operating officer of Chinese restaurant chain Yun Nans, is busy buying new chairs and increasing his supply of ingredients by 30 per cent. In addition to three outlets - at Jewel Changi Airport, Westgate and Nex - he is gearing up for a fourth opening at Ion Orchard in May.

Staff that had been hired for the upcoming outlet will be deployed to the existing ones first to manage the increase in the number of diners.

For the Crystal Jade Culinary Concepts' stable of restaurants, its general manager Cynthia Yee is hiring more part-timers to cope with bigger dining parties, especially for its bigger outlets such as Crystal Jade Golden Palace at Paragon and Crystal Jade Dining IN at VivoCity.

She said: "We are expecting the labour crunch to worsen as some staff may want to return home to see their families. With the current quota for foreign workers, we will not be able to hire as many staff as we need."

Many eatery owners echo the same sentiment - they welcome the return of more diners, but worry how they will manage without sufficient manpower.

Muslim-owned eatery The Social Outcast's chef-owner Aminurrashid Hasnordin has mixed feelings over the easing of curbs.

He said: "The more diners, the better, but we would rather have five 'good' tables where diners get the best food and attention, than a full house of people who get subpar food and lack of service.

"The safe-distancing ambassadors may be more relaxed. But bigger groups of diners may potentially be more demanding or less understanding of the manpower issue."

His restaurant at The Grandstand in Bukit Timah can seat up to 55 diners.

With the land border between Malaysia and Singapore reopening on April 1, some restaurateurs are hoping for a labour boost from across the Causeway soon.

Last week, Ms Janice Chi, co-owner of Ishinomaki Grill & Sake and Ki Teppan & Rogama, received five requests for video interviews from Malaysian job-seekers.

She said: "Even before the announcements, we could sense that they are getting ready to come to Singapore for work. Some of them have even booked their bus and air tickets.

"We also have staff who returned to Malaysia and were stuck there because of the restrictions."

Both her restaurants - located at Palais Renaissance - are almost fully booked next week.

The lifting of the 10.30pm curfew for serving alcohol is cheered by businesses banking on alcohol sales. It is a "crucial" revenue stream for microbrewery restaurant LeVeL33 at the Marina Bay Financial Centre, said its founding managing director Martin Bem.

He has received more than 25 reservations for bigger groups, although seating is still limited due to social distancing. A group of 10 now occupies one block of the restaurant's terrace, down from 30 people pre-pandemic.

Others are making up for lost time by extending their operating hours. For Akanoya Robatayaki at Orchard Rendezvous Hotel, opening hours will be extended to 1.30am from Tuesday.

The Japanese restaurant's chief operations manager Javier Goh said: "We are getting many bookings for more than five people. It feels like people are all out to gather and have a good time. These changes will uplift Singapore's food-and-beverage scene."