On 21 Apr, Singapore played a game of Hunger Games with its F&B businesses.
KOI.
Gongcha.
LiHo.
All of them didn’t survive and people in Singapore went crazy.
What safe distancing? Bubble tea is life.
But if you were to look at the updated list of essential businesses, you might get a little bit confused:
I’ll be honest: when I first heard about the tightening of essential businesses, I’d have thought we’ll have to say goodbye to many things:
Arty coffee, cute bread (when they say essential, I thought they meant Gardenia), and more.
But turns out, I was wrong.
Reader Bao: Big surprise there.
The. List.
Cafes & Coffee Places
- Starbucks
Most Starbucks outlets are open but you don’t have to chiong to their stores by yourself. Their menu is available on GrabFood, Foodpanda and deliveroo. Although, you got to ask, will you order a cup of coffee from Starbucks with its hefty service charge?
- Coffee Bean
Yes, the chain that decides to bring us non-home-made Dalgona coffee is still alive and kicking. Similar to Starbucks, you can get your daily fix of Coffee Bean caffeine by ordering online.
Details about their outlets that will continue operating here.
- Toast Box
IG-worthy coffee doesn’t make sense but at least this does.
For those who can’t start the day without your favourite kopi-O, keep calm, as Toast Box says, because they are still open.
You can find out more details here.
- Ya Kun Kaya Toast
Another place for (expensive but nice) local coffee:
And because there are now lesser F&B outlets liao, they ask for customers to understand that fulfilling orders might take longer.
In short, don’t curse a staff’s entire family to die and spit at them.
- Baristart Coffee Singapore
Need some atas coffee to start your day with?
Baristart Coffee Singapore is still operating its Tras Street outlet for delivery orders only.
“Stay home”, their Facebook post says, “we’ll bring our Hokkaido offerings straight to your doorstep.”
Dessert Places
- I Love Taimei
Now, while BBT stores closed to much fanfare, there are still places in Singapore where you can get your fix of bubble tea.
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I Love Taimei is a Taiwanese cooked snacks store, which means they’re allowed to remain open.
To help curb the spread of Covid-19, they’ve stopped taking bubble tea-only orders for walk-in customers. If you walk past and want to get a cup of bubble tea, you’ll have to get it together with food.
Bubble tea only orders, however, can be taken if you get it delivered to your home.
Now, don’t get frustrated if you’re having problems accessing their delivery because they’re also testing things out to see how best to manage their inventory:
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- Monga Fried Chicken Singapore
- Shihlin Taiwan Street Snacks
No bubble tea but seriously, since when is XXL chicken cutlet considered non-essential?
- Old Chang Kee
- Mr Bean
You can find more details about their outlets here.
- Paris Baguette
Paris Baguette has five stores which will remain open during the enhanced circuit breaker measures.
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- Awfully Chocolate
If you’ve always wondered, how essential is chocolate to humans?
Here’s your answer.
Awfully Chocolate has closed all of their stores except for their flagship restaurant at East Coast Road in Katong.
They assure customers that they’ll fulfil all pre-orders made for 22nd Apr and will be in contact for other orders.
Bakeries
- BreadTalk
BreadTalk has been shining during this Covid-19 pandemic, first with their toilet roll cakes and now, their super cute buns.
Well, guess what? You can still get your hands on these buns.
They will continue manufacturing and selling breads, toasts, beverages and ambient tea cakes. Whole chilled cakes, however, will be on a while stocks last basis.
So if anyone wants to celebrate their birthday soon, you better get a cake now.
- The Pine Garden
Similar to BreadTalk, The Pine Garden is selling off its chilled cakes. And thereafter, only their outlet at AMK will continue to operate selling bread.
- Delifrance
- Tiong Bahru Bakery
- Seriously Keto
- Chateraise Singapore
Singaporeans who love a good vanilla cream puff or other Japanese pastries would be psyched to hear this.
One of Charteraise Singapore’s outlet managed to survive.
And you can tell the owners were pretty happy too in their Facebook post.
Their last surviving store is at Shaw Centre and customers are calling for them to join delivery platform because we can’t travel out of our immediate areas now.
- Cedele
They might be known for their cakes but they do sell food as well.
So there you go, a list of F&B operators still operating through this period.
Now, the higher-level CB doesn’t seem so dismal liao, right? Just make sure to order online whenever possible and practise safe distancing at all time.
Or we might just find ourselves eating rice, soy sauce and pepper because the government closed down even more “non-essential” essential businesses.
