Saving local F&B industry by giving it a Hi5
After deciding to #savefnbsg during the circuit breaker, the founders of the movement are now giving the local F&B industry a high five.
Back in late March, Ms Lynn Yeow-De Vito, 40, and Ms Lyla Lin, 32, co-owners of communications agency Loop PR, started #savefnbsg, a coalition of more than 500 restaurants to support one another during the Covid-19 crisis.
The hashtag has since been widely used by the public, appearing in more than 56,000 posts on Instagram.
The women's efforts in helping the F&B industry continued with the spin-off Hi5SG (www.hi5sg.com), a five-month non-profit dining campaign supported by Enterprise Singapore that kicked off on Sept 1.
Inspired by the current five-person dining rule, the initiative aims to support business recovery as well as draw customers back to homegrown eateries, restaurants, cafes and gastrobars or help them discover new ones, by promoting special dining experiences themed around the number five, such as $5 dishes and drinks, $55 set menus and 55 per cent discounts.
According to Ms Yeow and Ms Lin, Hi5SG's 100-plus participating partners - including Braci, LeVeL33, Smoke & Mirrors and Zafferano Italian - have reported an average 10 per cent increase in footfall.
Part of the proceeds will go to Hi5SG's official beneficiary =Dreams (dreamsasia.org), an intensive educational programme for underprivileged children.
With phase three of Singapore's reopening approaching, Ms Yeow wants to remind diners to "respect the rules and regulations the authorities have put out, so we can all overcome this together".
Ms Lin added: "My hope is that businesses can remain and continue to prosper, and after Covid-19 is over, the restaurants we know and love will still be there."
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