Phase 2 reopening: F&B outlets gear up for returning diners, reservations pour in ahead of Father’s Day weekend

SINGAPORE — At the stroke of midnight on June 19 when Singapore enters the second phase of its circuit breaker exit, Mr Prata at Tampines Street 44 will open its sitting area to allow customers to dine in for the first time in over two months.

Measures to stop the community spread of Covid-19 have been in place since April 7. While Singapore moved into Phase One on June 2, dining-in had still been disallowed.

Mr Santheess Kumar, who manages the 24-hour outlet selling Indian Muslim food, said he is eager to welcome regular customers back to eat on its premises, although the number of seats will be slashed by half as the restaurant implements safe distancing measures.

“Now they finally get to sit (and eat), although it (will be about 1m) away from each other,” he said.

On Monday, the Government announced that the country will be moving into Phase Two after 11.59pm on Thursday. Almost all activities, including dining in at restaurants, tuition classes and exercising at sports facilities and gyms, will be allowed to resume with certain limits.

The limits include individuals having to maintain a distance of 1m from each other at all times, and a maximum of five people are allowed in any gathering.

Food-and-beverage (F&B) outlets will also have to stop liquor sales and consumption by 10.30pm every day, and everyone is still required to wear a mask while outside, except while eating or drinking.

Majority of restaurant owners interviewed by TODAY said the announcement took them by surprise.

While they are gearing up for the return of dine-in customers, they pointed out that the dining experience will be different, and some of them said they would have to reduce their offerings due to shortage of manpower or ingredients post-circuit breaker. 

Nevertheless, several restaurants said they saw an influx of reservations after the news broke.

One of them is Mr Gerald Lu, whose restaurant, Praelum Wine Bistro, was fully booked for Friday evening just 15 minutes after the announcement was made.

By Tuesday, the bistro at Duxton Hill was fully booked for the entire weekend.

Similarly, restaurant chain Tunglok Group and Cavemen Restaurant and Bar, saw an increase in reservations.

While Tunglok Group’s chief executive officer Andrew Tjioe did not disclose the number of bookings it has received at its 26 restaurants, he said the phone “has been ringing nonstop” especially for Father's Day this Sunday.

Cavemen Restaurant and Bar operations manager Sueann Liow also said it has received many text messages and calls from regular customers who are eager to dine in.

Select Group’s founder and managing director Vincent Tan said that while he expects an influx of customers on Father’s Day, he believes the crowd will not match the pre-Covid days as “people will still be more cautious and prudent when it comes to gathering in enclosed spaces”.

Praelum Wine Bistro was fully booked for Friday evening just 15 minutes after the announcement was made on the country moving into Phase Two. Photo: Ili Nadhirah Mansor/TODAY

NEW DINING EXPERIENCE

Patrons can expect a different dining experience when they return to the eateries, with businesses rolling out various measures to keep customers safe.

For Cavemen Restaurant and Bar, Ms Liow said it has rolled out a digital menu which patrons can access by scanning quick response (QR) codes.

Cutleries and napkins placed on the table will be rearranged in such a way that they will not be exposed, she added.

As for Tunglok group, it has ordered thermal thermometers that can be rested on tripods to scan all customers before they enter the store, said Mr Tjioe.

Additionally, its larger stores and fine dining outlets will be fitted with partitions. This allows for safe distancing between customers and provides them with more privacy, he added.

Many of the eateries will also have to reduce their seating capacity to meet safe distancing requirements.

“We used to be able to seat 50 people, but now we can only sit, at most, 35 people.” said Mr Lu from Praelum Wine Bistro. The restaurant has adjusted its table alignment so that groups of diners will face away from each other to make them feel safer.

As for the Tunglok Group, Mr Tjioe said its seating capacity has “easily halved”.

Mr Kumar said the outlet which he manages can normally seat close to 60 people but will only be able to seat 25 when dine-in customers return. 

As global travel restrictions affect trade, some restaurants will also reduce their menu as it has been difficult to obtain some premium ingredients.

For example, Ms Liow said her restaurant has been unable to obtain ingredients such as burrata cheese in time for its opening, which had been used in one of its dishes.

Its cocktail menu has also been reduced as the restaurant faces a manpower crunch after part-timers found other essential jobs when the circuit breaker kicked in.

NOT ALL RUSHING TO OPEN

In anticipation of large numbers of dine-in customers, Mr Tan, who is also the President of the Restaurant Association in Singapore, reminded F&B outlets to step up cleaning and hygiene measures.

“To manage the crowd, F&B outlets can also consider adopting a reservation system and also extending their meal hours, to serve more customers.”

However, not all restaurants are rushing to open their doors for diners.

Mr Paul Liew does not plan to reopen his restaurant, Keng Eng Kee Seafood, till Tuesday as it has already accepted delivery and takeout orders for Father’s Day and does not have the capacity to accept dine-in customers.

“I want to focus on one thing at a time. I want to make sure we are ready to open before we do,” he said.

The restaurant also has to settle logistical issues before welcoming diners back, such as coordinating with its dishwasher which it outsources, and contacting part-timers to meet manpower demands.

Mr Xu Kai Liang, who manages Rochor Original Beancurd, said it will delay the reopening of its seating area as a safety precaution.

“We don’t want to reopen and suddenly see a crowd at the store. We don’t want any clusters to start here...so we are going to wait and not rush,” he said.

As for the customers, some are relishing eating out again, after being deprived of that experience for some time.

Ms Tan Zi Xin, a 35-year-old accountant, was planning to visit her parents’ home this weekend to celebrate Father’s Day. But now, she may make a reservation at a restaurant instead.

“But my family is quite big, so we may have to downsize the group,” she said.

However, not everyone will be rushing to eat out this weekend.

Undergraduate Janelle Wong, 20, said: “I’ll wait one or two weeks because I don’t feel safe staying out too long.”