White paper update: COVID-19's impact on restaurants in Singapore

Since 20 March 2020, Singapore’s F&B industry has experienced four rounds of increasingly stringent measures to curb the spread of COVID-19. While the first instalment of this white paper assessed the immediate impact in early March, this update reports the action taken and the impact experienced by restaurants in response to safe distancing and circuit breaking measures. 

This white paper is authored by The Chope Group, the largest dining technology platform across Asia with aggregated data across 5,000 restaurant partners and 19 million users. It collates findings from a second survey conducted from respondents representing over 150 establishments after circuit breaker measures were in effect for one month. Where relevant, results have been compared with results from the first phase of findings. 

Covering the impact of cost-saving measures, Chope observes the revenue generated from pivoting to takeaway and delivery, and reports on the effectiveness of government assistance and schemes. A huge amount of uncertainty remains as to when and how dine-in for restaurants will be allowed to resume, but Chope will continue to provide projections and advice on how the industry can recover as the situation continues to evolve.

As the previous version of our white paper advised, the impact of COVID-19 should be seen as a series of events, rather than a single catastrophic event — so restaurants need to be agile in adapting to new and changing circumstances. That is exactly how the situation is unfolding, with restaurants continuously tweaking their operations to accommodate safe distancing and circuit breaker measures.

Key findings from the white paper update

Download our white paper below. Access our COVID-19 Resource Centre for advisories, infographics and articles on navigating the restaurant industry.

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