SINGAPORE: Local hawker favourites like chicken rice and laksa, served fresh by chefs – this is what customers are opting for these days together with pre-prepared buffet spreads.
More in Singapore are moving away from just traditional buffet catering for private and corporate events. They are instead going for experiential services such as live food stations - even if it means paying more, say catering firms.
They told CNA that demand for live food stations has risen by up to 20 per cent over the past two years, reflecting a growing appetite for interactive dining experiences.
Guests are increasingly treated to dishes served fresh and hot by chefs operating pop-up stalls at event venues.
Chicken rice stations, laksa booths and even dessert stalls are becoming common features at corporate functions and private celebrations.
Customers with the budget flexibility are willing to spend more to enhance their guests’ experience, said Rasel Catering managing director Alan Tan.
“They want to give their guests a bit more experience in coming for their events, so they actually wanted us to add hawker stalls to their events,” he added.
“All this will lead to about, maybe, another 15 to 20 per cent increase in the price on top of the normal menu.”
Dr Samer Elhajjar, senior marketing lecturer at the National University of Singapore, said the shift reflects broader changes in consumer behaviour.
"People want to live experiences. They are becoming less materialistic in one way, but more experiential in another way. They want to experience food. They want to experience things that they cannot enjoy at home,” he noted.
“We are seeing a very clear shift from passive consumption to more interactive formats like live stations. I think it creates a sense of freshness; it reduces overproduction, but at the same time, it can turn catering into part of the event experience,” Dr Elhajjar added.
Catering is increasingly becoming part of a brand’s overall event strategy, particularly for corporate functions seeking more memorable and interactive formats, he said.
Food being laid out at a buffet.
However, serving up such experiences comes with higher manpower costs. Live stations typically require double the on-site manpower compared with regular buffets.
Mr Tan noted that rising labour costs are adding further pressure to caterers.
It also comes as the minimum qualifying salaries for Employment Pass and S Pass holders are set to be raised from January next year. This was announced by Prime Minister Lawrence Wong in his Budget speech about two weeks ago.
“Even though it's going to start from next year only, already we can feel the pressure,” said Mr Tan.
With costs in the food and beverage industry being a constant pressure point, he said caterers have to be “very sensitive to the market” or risk losing customers if they raise prices by too much.
“We did do some adjustment - maybe about 2 to 3 per cent. Not more than that, because customers are still very sensitive to pricing,” Mr Tan added.
Other catering formats are also gaining traction.
At Bellygood Caterer, CEO of events and catering Sunil Shamdasani said bentos and small party sets are growing in popularity as they are generally more economical than buffets
Demand for small party sets has been particularly strong among people aged 27 to 35. Mr Shamdasani attributed this to shrinking family sizes and smaller homes, which make buffet spreads less practical and cost-effective.
Among corporate clients, especially those with large production teams like in manufacturing, he has also observed a rise in bento orders.
A bulk order of bentos can serve the same number of people as two buffet lines, but at a lower cost. Individually packed meals also offer greater flexibility for employees working in shifts, he added.
However, these orders – especially large numbers of bento sets – are labour-intensive to produce, he said.
"Imagine - you have 1,000 bentos, so the manpower has gone into them. It’s sort of a net gain … but it's still an increase of about 20 per cent of our manpower costs in totality, with your full-time and your casual labour. It’s still a hit on margins,” he said.
With shifting consumer preferences and mounting cost pressures, Dr Elhajjar said he believes businesses will need to adapt.
“By implementing technologies like AI … into the operation system, it can be much more productive and efficient,” he added.
“I think local producers are in need of financial support, but also capacity building to integrate emerging technologies into the value chain.”
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More in Singapore are moving away from just traditional buffet catering for private and corporate events. They are instead going for experiential services such as live food stations - even if it means paying more, say catering firms.
They told CNA that demand for live food stations has risen by up to 20 per cent over the past two years, reflecting a growing appetite for interactive dining experiences.
Guests are increasingly treated to dishes served fresh and hot by chefs operating pop-up stalls at event venues.
Chicken rice stations, laksa booths and even dessert stalls are becoming common features at corporate functions and private celebrations.
Customers with the budget flexibility are willing to spend more to enhance their guests’ experience, said Rasel Catering managing director Alan Tan.
“They want to give their guests a bit more experience in coming for their events, so they actually wanted us to add hawker stalls to their events,” he added.
“All this will lead to about, maybe, another 15 to 20 per cent increase in the price on top of the normal menu.”
HIGHER COSTS
Dr Samer Elhajjar, senior marketing lecturer at the National University of Singapore, said the shift reflects broader changes in consumer behaviour.
"People want to live experiences. They are becoming less materialistic in one way, but more experiential in another way. They want to experience food. They want to experience things that they cannot enjoy at home,” he noted.
“We are seeing a very clear shift from passive consumption to more interactive formats like live stations. I think it creates a sense of freshness; it reduces overproduction, but at the same time, it can turn catering into part of the event experience,” Dr Elhajjar added.
Catering is increasingly becoming part of a brand’s overall event strategy, particularly for corporate functions seeking more memorable and interactive formats, he said.
Food being laid out at a buffet.
However, serving up such experiences comes with higher manpower costs. Live stations typically require double the on-site manpower compared with regular buffets.
Mr Tan noted that rising labour costs are adding further pressure to caterers.
It also comes as the minimum qualifying salaries for Employment Pass and S Pass holders are set to be raised from January next year. This was announced by Prime Minister Lawrence Wong in his Budget speech about two weeks ago.
“Even though it's going to start from next year only, already we can feel the pressure,” said Mr Tan.
With costs in the food and beverage industry being a constant pressure point, he said caterers have to be “very sensitive to the market” or risk losing customers if they raise prices by too much.
“We did do some adjustment - maybe about 2 to 3 per cent. Not more than that, because customers are still very sensitive to pricing,” Mr Tan added.
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BENTOS, SMALL PARTY SETS
Other catering formats are also gaining traction.
At Bellygood Caterer, CEO of events and catering Sunil Shamdasani said bentos and small party sets are growing in popularity as they are generally more economical than buffets
Demand for small party sets has been particularly strong among people aged 27 to 35. Mr Shamdasani attributed this to shrinking family sizes and smaller homes, which make buffet spreads less practical and cost-effective.
Among corporate clients, especially those with large production teams like in manufacturing, he has also observed a rise in bento orders.
A bulk order of bentos can serve the same number of people as two buffet lines, but at a lower cost. Individually packed meals also offer greater flexibility for employees working in shifts, he added.
However, these orders – especially large numbers of bento sets – are labour-intensive to produce, he said.
"Imagine - you have 1,000 bentos, so the manpower has gone into them. It’s sort of a net gain … but it's still an increase of about 20 per cent of our manpower costs in totality, with your full-time and your casual labour. It’s still a hit on margins,” he said.
With shifting consumer preferences and mounting cost pressures, Dr Elhajjar said he believes businesses will need to adapt.
“By implementing technologies like AI … into the operation system, it can be much more productive and efficient,” he added.
“I think local producers are in need of financial support, but also capacity building to integrate emerging technologies into the value chain.”
Continue reading...