Low hanging balls
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No more Jiuhu will need to brave thru 2hr traffic jam, soon the 2.1b lunch will automatic flood in thru RTS
- Thread starter k1976
- Start date
These stupid cunts only think about shopping.
Please la, that will mean Sinkies jobs will all be taken over by cheap ass Malaysian labor.
Please la, that will mean Sinkies jobs will all be taken over by cheap ass Malaysian labor.
The auspicious date for 2.1b $$$$$
Squeeze and picked..sure got pluck pluck sound de
Singapore’s fine-dining scene in dire straits; more closures expected before year end
Poor market conditions are forcing operators to cut losses or pivot to survive
Jaime Ee
Published Thu, Aug 22, 2024 · 11:47 PMLifestyle
- La Dame De Pic closed down on May 31. PHOTO: LA DAME DE PIC
- Casual eatery Tambi is feeling the brunt of diners gravitating towards either lower-priced or higher-level eateries, but not in between. PHOTO: TAMBI
- One-Michelin-starred restaurant Sommer will close on Oct 26. PHOTO: SOMMER
- Two-Michelin-starred Cloudstreet used to be booked months ahead of Formula 1, but that has changed now. PHOTO: CLOUDSTREET
- La Dame De Pic closed down on May 31. PHOTO: LA DAME DE PIC
- Casual eatery Tambi is feeling the brunt of diners gravitating towards either lower-priced or higher-level eateries, but not in between. PHOTO: TAMBI
- One-Michelin-starred restaurant Sommer will close on Oct 26. PHOTO: SOMMER
- Two-Michelin-starred Cloudstreet used to be booked months ahead of Formula 1, but that has changed now. PHOTO: CLOUDSTREET
BY OCTOBER, one-Michelin-starred Sommer will be no more. Former star Beni recently shuttered without a word.
Popular fine-dining favourite Voyage is also set to close at the end of December. Longstanding Bam! Restaurant served its last meal on Aug 15. They are just the latest stark reminders that talented chefs and pedigree are no longer a match for the wallet that rules them all – the increasingly cost-conscious consumer.
They follow a list of Michelin-star closures announced in the last six months that include La Dame de Pic, Braci, Table65 and Chef Kang’s.
While the non-renewal of leases is among the reasons cited for closure, the rate at which restaurants are calling it quits is a clear sign that the malaise felt in the fine-dining industry since 2023 is escalating into what one restaurateur calls “a purge that has only just begun”.
Singapore too expensive to operate in
Jonathan Koh, chef-owner of the fine-dining restaurant Voyage that started out as a patisserie and morphed into the favourite haunt of wealthy Indonesians and other Asian expats, has pretty much given up on doing business in Singapore.When the lease of his Outram Road restaurant ends in December, Koh plans to pack his bags to open a new restaurant in Vietnam, which he feels has more opportunities as a developing country.
Inflation (in Singapore) is at a pretty drastic level, interest rates don’t look like they’re coming down till next year, and even some high-profile bankers I’ve spoken to warn of a recession,” he says.
“Singaporeans are just not spending here. They’d rather eat in Japan, and you can’t blame them. With the rise in GST, it’s very expensive to eat here because you’re adding almost 20 per cent to your bill each time. And manpower quotas are causing a really big problem.”
He adds that restaurant prices in Singapore aren’t high “because we want to charge a lot”. In fact, “if you look at it from a chef’s perspective, given the high cost of ingredients, it’s good value because we don’t make much”.
He cites the three-Michelin-starred Les Amis as an example. “When you see the amount of food they give you, (such as) the caviar, yes, it’s expensive but it’s good value. Compare that to, say Robuchon in Macau, where it costs S$600 for lunch per head, and it’s full house.”
Although some new investors have approached him and his landlord did offer to renew his lease, Koh declined, as he feels the market is the worst it’s been since Covid. In fact, he even thrived during the pandemic thanks to his captive market of expats; but once the travel floodgates opened, many left, leaving a big impact on his business.
Not just Singapore
“We have hospitality and F&B businesses overseas, too, so this is not a Singapore phenomenon,” says Loh Lik Peng of Unlisted Collection. “All markets that we operate in are in the same boat. Consumers have less money to spend. I think central banks globally have been doing their best to tamp down demand and inflation, and it’s working.”He adds: “This is cyclical. When the cycle reverses, people will spend again. I have been through too many such cycles to think otherwise. If you read the news, you will see that markets like China, Australia, the UK and Europe are in a worse state than Singapore, and the US is now heading in the same direction after defying the headwinds for the last two years.”
There are also fundamental factors affecting the medium-term outlook, namely “the excess supply of new openings in the last two years, although this is currently unwinding itself with more recent closures given the tough business climate”, notes a spokesperson for the Les Amis Group, which itself has undergone extensive recalibration in the past year to streamline its operations.
“We have shut several loss-making concepts, and moved outlets in poorer locations to stronger ones (such as moving its Sushi Jin outlet from One Farrer to Shaw Centre), rebranded and tweaked existing concepts,” adds the spokesperson. “We are in a stronger position today than we were a year ago. We’re looking to start growing again next year.”
If you take the new RTS over-the-sea train and then half way on top the sea, the train stop and malfunction, wtf are you going to do? Jump down to swim? let say you kanna stuck there for like 5 hours on top of the sea, what if you wanna go toilet?
Hey, at least you can enjoy the sea view there.
Hey, at least you can enjoy the sea view there.
Mo worry, they will get a rescue train from either side to pull or push the defective train
Good hands don't know how to tame inflation and lack of businesses acumen.Good hands only know how to get more revenue through rental, property tax and more rental.
They happily allow people to bid for a hawker stall for 10k per month. Then on top of that there's another miscellaneous charges like washing of utensil , plate clearing and other costs ...
Good hands is from the same system.
Many many new store owners are:
1. New Kampong / Far East Asian VVIPs
2. EX-DemiGod recent downgrade to Hardlander doing 翻身赛
3. Hardlander looking for 替身to huat big big
What’s the benefits for Sinkies?
Easier way to buy cheap groceries at the expense of losing jobs to cheap Malaysian labor? Lol
Well if that’s not the Sinkie way of fucking ourselves, I don’t know what is.
Easier way to buy cheap groceries at the expense of losing jobs to cheap Malaysian labor? Lol
Well if that’s not the Sinkie way of fucking ourselves, I don’t know what is.
Nation
Motorists should expect heavier traffic at Johor-Singapore crossings from Friday
By New Straits TimesAugust 26, 2024 @ 9:40pm
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysians and Singaporeans should anticipate heavy traffic and possibly long queues at Immigration counters at both Johor-Singapore crossings for the upcoming holidays.
Singapore's immigration authority said it anticipates a surge in the number of travellers entering Malaysia through the Johor-Singapore Causeway and the Tuas Second Link during the upcoming school holidays in the city-state.
It has warned of heavy traffic at both land crossings from Friday until Sept 8.
"The authority noted that during the recent Singapore National Day long weekend, from Aug 8 to 13, a record-breaking 540,000 travellers crossed through the Woodlands and Tuas checkpoints on Aug 8 alone.
"Travellers in cars faced delays of up to three hours at immigration due to traffic congestion from Malaysia.
"Travellers are advised to prepare for longer wait times at the checkpoints and consider using cross-border bus services as an alternative," FMT reported, quoting a statement from Singapore's Immigration Authority, today.
It also urged those travelling into the city state to plan their journeys accordingly to avoid delays during these peak periods.
Singapore
Singapore
File photo of a Grab driver. (Photo: TODAY)
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Justin Ong Guang-Xi
26 Aug 2024 06:00AM (Updated: 26 Aug 2024 02:18PM)
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SINGAPORE: Grab and Gojek drivers have noticed a dip in their incomes over the past six months, but Grab, the largest ride-hailing firm here, said this is seasonal.
Mr Lee Chin Chye, 56, used to make S$300 to S$500 (US$230 to US$380) driving 10 hours a day. This started declining about six months ago and he now makes about 10 per cent less, even though he drives the same number of hours.
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He blames this on lower fares on the Grab platform.
“Competition (among the platforms) has a lot to do with it, the falling demand from passengers also has to do with it,” said Mr Lee, who only takes bookings on Grab.
CNA spoke to eight private-hire drivers, and all who use Grab or Gojek said fares are now lower and their incomes have in turn fallen. Three drivers who have not seen a decline operate only on TADA, known for its zero-commission model.
Neither Grab nor Gojek answered CNA's queries about whether they have reduced their fares.
Grab is the dominant player among five main ride-hailing firms in Singapore, with 50.2 per cent market share in 2022, according to data platform Measurable AI. This is followed by Gojek with 17.7 per cent, ComfortDelGro with 15.1 per cent and TADA with 11.1 per cent. Ryde is the smallest player with 5.9 per cent.
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The falling income is a growing concern, especially for younger drivers or those with financial liabilities, drivers said.
A 31-year-old Gojek driver, who did not want to be named, said the 10 per cent hit to his earnings has been "tough" to take but he has no plans to quit.
He lost his previous job due to a workplace injury and has been a private-hire driver for five years to support his five children.
Another driver with loans to pay and a five-year-old child to feed is Grab driver Mr Lee, who did not want to give his full name.
His income has fallen by about 20 per cent over the past six months. While he used to earn about S$300 a day for 10 hours of work, he now earns around S$250.
“I have to cut down on travel, eating at restaurants. The prices (of goods) are all going up but (my income) seems to be going down,” said the 56-year-old. “Sometimes, once a month, it happens that I have to take a personal loan to sustain (my expenses) for a while.”
Grab, Gojek drivers say they are earning less; Grab says the income dip is 'seasonal'
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Singapore
Grab, Gojek drivers say they are earning less; Grab says the income dip is 'seasonal'
Demand for private-hire rides is expected to rise later this year with high-profile events such as the Formula 1 race, says Grab.
File photo of a Grab driver. (Photo: TODAY)
Listen to this article
7 min
New: You can now listen to articles.
This audio is generated by an AI tool.
Justin Ong Guang-Xi
26 Aug 2024 06:00AM (Updated: 26 Aug 2024 02:18PM)
BookmarkShare
SINGAPORE: Grab and Gojek drivers have noticed a dip in their incomes over the past six months, but Grab, the largest ride-hailing firm here, said this is seasonal.
Mr Lee Chin Chye, 56, used to make S$300 to S$500 (US$230 to US$380) driving 10 hours a day. This started declining about six months ago and he now makes about 10 per cent less, even though he drives the same number of hours.
ADVERTISEMENT
He blames this on lower fares on the Grab platform.
“Competition (among the platforms) has a lot to do with it, the falling demand from passengers also has to do with it,” said Mr Lee, who only takes bookings on Grab.
CNA spoke to eight private-hire drivers, and all who use Grab or Gojek said fares are now lower and their incomes have in turn fallen. Three drivers who have not seen a decline operate only on TADA, known for its zero-commission model.
Neither Grab nor Gojek answered CNA's queries about whether they have reduced their fares.
Grab is the dominant player among five main ride-hailing firms in Singapore, with 50.2 per cent market share in 2022, according to data platform Measurable AI. This is followed by Gojek with 17.7 per cent, ComfortDelGro with 15.1 per cent and TADA with 11.1 per cent. Ryde is the smallest player with 5.9 per cent.
ADVERTISEMENT
The falling income is a growing concern, especially for younger drivers or those with financial liabilities, drivers said.
A 31-year-old Gojek driver, who did not want to be named, said the 10 per cent hit to his earnings has been "tough" to take but he has no plans to quit.
He lost his previous job due to a workplace injury and has been a private-hire driver for five years to support his five children.
Another driver with loans to pay and a five-year-old child to feed is Grab driver Mr Lee, who did not want to give his full name.
His income has fallen by about 20 per cent over the past six months. While he used to earn about S$300 a day for 10 hours of work, he now earns around S$250.
“I have to cut down on travel, eating at restaurants. The prices (of goods) are all going up but (my income) seems to be going down,” said the 56-year-old. “Sometimes, once a month, it happens that I have to take a personal loan to sustain (my expenses) for a while.”
see lah, so expensive and a torture to be married in sinkieland. i am not against marriage, but to be married in sinkieland, you need to be prepare for a life such as this in similar fashion.
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Half of the 3,000 surveyed believe they need more than $500,000 to raise a child here till the age of 21.
The index also found that more than half of those polled – 55 per cent – said they know how to get to financial freedom.
The remaining 45 per cent comprise people who are unsure and those who have never thought about this. Those unsure are usually aged 35 to 44, while those who did not think about becoming financially independent are usually women with low monthly household income.
The index also found that more than half of those polled – 55 per cent – said they know how to get to financial freedom.
The remaining 45 per cent comprise people who are unsure and those who have never thought about this. Those unsure are usually aged 35 to 44, while those who did not think about becoming financially independent are usually women with low monthly household income.
When asked, Singlife said that based on the 2024 survey results, Singaporeans felt that financial freedom means the ability to lead a desired lifestyle without worry (21 per cent); free from debt obligations (19 per cent); having stable work to support lifestyle (12 per cent); and the ability to spend freely (10 per cent).
As for the amount to feel financially free, participants said they need about $612,000 in cash. This is an increase of 8 per cent from $566,000 in 2023.
Four in five polled aim to retire by age 65. Most believe they need $2,856 in living expenses per month to do so comfortably.
Meanwhile, one in five prefers to retire overseas, citing reasons such as the lower cost of living, slower pace of life and preferred weather. The top destinations are Malaysia, Australia, New Zealand and Thailand.
About three in five, or 57 per cent, are aware of or said they have life insurance coverage, while nearly two in five – 38 per cent – have critical illness protection.
As for the amount to feel financially free, participants said they need about $612,000 in cash. This is an increase of 8 per cent from $566,000 in 2023.
Four in five polled aim to retire by age 65. Most believe they need $2,856 in living expenses per month to do so comfortably.
Meanwhile, one in five prefers to retire overseas, citing reasons such as the lower cost of living, slower pace of life and preferred weather. The top destinations are Malaysia, Australia, New Zealand and Thailand.
About three in five, or 57 per cent, are aware of or said they have life insurance coverage, while nearly two in five – 38 per cent – have critical illness protection.
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