What Covid-19-related measures do you think are here to stay (even post-pandemic) and how do you feel about them?

Lim Kian Chun (LKC) Social distancing and mask-wearing seem to have become quite the norm and I think they will be here to stay for a while. We’ve received comments that having restaurant staff in masks create a form of communication barrier, and we’ve embraced it. This only means our staff has to work harder in extending the same level of hospitality to guests while safeguarding the health and safety of our staff and customers.

Due to dine-in restrictions, we’ve had to enjoy meals in the comfort of our homes—I think this trend is here to stay. That said, we developed new ways for customers to enjoy an elevated dining experience in their abode. Our recently launched platform, Tabletop, is a food experience app that brings all Ebb & Flow Group brands to customers across the island. Customers have also become used to interacting with chefs and F&B personalities online, and we will be adding exciting new features next month that will allow users to actively engage with chefs, including the functionality to post and share food photos and recipe videos.

Please tell us more about Ebb & Flow Group’s takeaway/delivery service.

LKC We’ve been exploring cloud kitchens and delivery-only brands since 2019, as I believe selling online is the logical next step for F&B operators who want to expand their reach. Currently, all our F&B brands are available for home delivery, and we handle everything in-house—from the preparation of food to order fulfilment and delivery.

The response has been overwhelmingly positive, especially for two of our flagship restaurants, Sommer Dining and The Dragon Chamber. Both concepts previously thrived off a unique dine-in experience, but our delivery-tailored menus have shown us that our customers are pleased with the high quality we deliver to their homes.

That said, I don’t think anything can replace a fantastic dining experience at a nice restaurant; everything from the interior design and furnishing to the lighting or music creates a unique ambience that brings consumers back again and again.

Related: 5 New Restaurants in Singapore Offering Delivery and Takeaway Menus

What did you learn from the experience running an F&B group over the past year?

LKC It was exhausting. There was a lot of work needed to build and continually refine operations and processes, and we made many mistakes along the way. The team had to learn how to operate and thrive in the face of uncertainty, and we had to become a lot more adaptive and nimble. But it was also personally rewarding for all of us as the act of eating or sharing a meal is a joyful experience for many, and we strive to make that happen for all customers, whether it’s at one of our restaurants or at home.

What unexpected opportunities arose from the pandemic for you (e.g. opportunity to do private chef jobs, collaborations with other chefs/F&B professionals)?

LKC It was during the 2020 circuit breaker that we noticed an uptick in demand for baked goods and desserts, leading us to launch Tigerlily Patisserie in partnership with Maxine Ngooi, who was previously our pastry chef at Vianney Massot. When we launched it in August 2020, the response was even better than anticipated. We found that people not only really enjoyed the bake boxes but were also sending them as care packages to friends and family.

While the strategy for our brands has always been to have a concept that is optimised for both delivery and dine-in, our fine dining restaurant Sommer, launched earlier this year, was the exception. However, with the month-long dining restrictions during this period, we’ve had to rethink that and instead of closing the restaurant for one month, we were able to quickly launch a delivery and takeaway menu, relying on our fully integrated home delivery infrastructure to deliver the Sommer experience comprising a selection of comforting treats to be savoured in the comfort of home. The response received has been unexpectedly positive, especially with head chef Lewis Barker’ beef Wellington.

How did the pandemic impact your cooking and eating habits, whether at home or at the restaurant?

LKC I think at the start of the pandemic, people were ordering in a lot more and perhaps overeating or eating unhealthily, possibly due to the stress and uncertainty of the situation. I was no exception.

These days, I cook a lot more. The frequency of my delivery orders is still higher than pre-pandemic, but I am more conscious of what I choose to order and will go for higher quality food.

What did you learn about yourself during these challenging times? Did you pick up any new skills, hobbies or passions during the pandemic?

LKC I play a lot of online chess these days. I find that it helps me get my mind off work. I also watch a lot more Netflix, something which I’m trying to cut down on.

How has the F&B industry in your region fared compared to elsewhere in the world?

LKC We’ve been fortunate that we were able to return to some form of normalcy, and to see restaurants and hawkers alike being well patronised and bustling once again. This is in stark contrast to many parts of the world, many of which are still in lockdown mode. The recent rise in community cases is a reminder for us not to let our guards down and be well-prepared for changes in situations that may happen at any given time.

How best do you think consumers/diners can support you and the F&B industry in the short term, and the longer term?

LKC This has been a very difficult time, and it is heartening to see that consumers have been very supportive of the F&B industry and have helped to alleviate some of the impacts of the pandemic. We do hope that more can be patient and understanding when dealing with F&B operators, bearing in mind that it is not easy operating in this environment and everyone is under an immense amount of stress. Kind words go a long way!

What do you think 2021 holds for F&B? And looking further into the future, how do you think restaurants and the experience of dining out will change as a result of the pandemic?

LKC I am confident that domestic demand remains strong over the next 12 months, and once borders are open again, people will be more focused on travelling instead, but we can still expect good demand from tourism given Singapore’s allure as a dining destination.

I believe that we will see a further acceleration towards digital solutions, which is important for F&B businesses to widen and deepen their reach and remain competitive. Whether it’s selling via online channels or understanding their customer base better using data and insights, F&B businesses will need to be able to own the end-to-end customer experience and a big part of that is using technology to empower themselves.