Singapore boosts food delivery to assist foodservice firms

F&B outlets will no longer be allowed to provide dine-in services.

Statutory board Enterprise Singapore (ESG) has rolled out a food delivery booster package to fund 5ppt of commission costs from food delivery platforms Deliveroo, foodpanda and GrabFood, according to a press release.

The package was launched as the Ministry of Health (MOH) suspended activities, excluding essential services and related supply chain activities, to minimise the spread of the pandemic. With this, all food and beverage (F&B) establishments can open only for takeaway or delivery from 7 April to 4 May, and no dine-in services are allowed.

As a result, the sales and profitability of the outlets are expected to be affected due to the drop in dine-in sales and the associated costs of using online food delivery platforms.

There will be no cap on the transaction value. To be eligible, businesses must sell food that was prepared on-premise for immediate consumption. This includes smaller establishments like hawker stalls and cafes, to larger outfits such as food caterers and restaurants.

Businesses that are on the three platforms can avail for the package, and no applications are required. The package supports both new entrants and those that are already operating on these platforms.