For some strange reasons, I’d taken an interest in the local F&B scene in Singapore during our lockdown period. Perhaps it’s boredom, maybe it’s the horror of possibly seeing my favourite hawkers and F&Bs shut down. I even went on to create a bulletin board to match F&Bs with delivery drivers, so that they have a fighting chance at transitioning to a delivery-only business model. In fact, even after our official lockdown ceases, dine-in is still not allowed, for god knows how much longer. F&Bs really need to hunker down and evolve fast, if not it’s hasta a vista baby.

A bunch of us were brainstorming on a Facebook group chat, and I listed out some ideas and requisites for F&Bs to succeed in a new normal of contactless dining:

- Dedicated staff to take online orders (like how wait staff take order IRL), update the customer of dispatch, small talk with customers

- Proper online menu, ordering and delivery system and process

- Having a reliable group of delivery riders

- Clustered delivery for more reasonable delivery rates, or clustered delivery to different regions on different days

- Changing menu items to food that’s delivery-friendly, won’t turn to mush on arrival

- Packaging that keeps food warm, intact, etc, or prepped meals for heating up later

- Adopt new/different hygiene practices for delivery

- Collaboration with nearby F&Bs for mixed orders from multiple F&Bs

- Safe distancing protocols for take-out queues, manned by dedicated staff

- Online, social media staff who knows how to engage customers online, because F&Bs can’t depend on location now to bring footfall. They need online savvy to bring internet ‘footfall’.

- Group buy orders? Combine orders with your neighbours.

- Livestream the chef cooking your order for more engaging remote dining experience 

What else should restaurants do to survive in this new normal of contactless dining?