Tiger Beer Singapore Launches 'Support Our Local F&B' Initiative

Many businesses have been hit badly by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. One of which is the F&B industry, which has seen as much as an 80% loss in revenue. The circuit breaker measures implemented by the Singapore government to tighten the fight against the pandemic, banning all customers from dining in, hurts the suffering industry even more. In a recent survey, 88% of restaurants indicated that they may not be able to survive COVID-19 pandemic without assistance.

The situation is very real. Our food culture and heritage is under threat and many F&B places may not weather the storm. You may not be able to visit your favourite F&B places or taste your favourite dishes when all this is over unless we take action today.

Standing in solidarity with the local F&B community, Tiger Beer Singapore has launched the 'Support Our Local F&B’ initiative as part of the #SupportOurStreets campaign. And to kick it off, Tiger Beer Singapore has contributed $100,000 to the fund.

The initiative will run from now till 31 May 2020 and you can support your local F&B businesses by making a $10 contribution to the fund at https://supportourfnb.tigerbeer.com.sg. There is no limit to the number of times you can make a contribution. Each week, the contributions are collated, and all proceeds will go directly to the F&B community. As a gesture of appreciation from Tiger Beer Singapore, each contribution will entitle you to a digital drink voucher redeemable for two Tiger beers when the outlets resume operations to encourage footfall and support the outlets’ restart and revival.

Through the ‘Support Our Local F&B' initiative, Tiger aims to raise an additional $300,000 in contributions from Singaporeans, which will go directly to more than 450 participating F&B outlets with more joining in the weeks to come. In preparation to support the industry’s recovery, Tiger is also planning a care package to be rolled out when F&B partners restart their businesses again.

For the list of participating F&B outlets, you can visit https://supportourfnb.tigerbeer.com.sg

Inaugural Tiger Street Food Support Fund Aims To Support New And Aspiring Hawkers Entering The Trade

Following through on its commitment to reinvest 20 cents for every 6-can pack (6 x 323ml) purchase, Tiger Beer launches the inaugural Tiger Street Food Support Fund. Glad to hear of Tiger Beer’s aim - to preserve our street food heritage through the Tiger Street Food Support Fund, which will provide financial assistance to new hawkers and aspiring hawkers looking to enter the hawker trade. A total of 30 selected applicants will receive up to S$10,000 via reimbursements to help get their business started.

Only open to hawkers who have set up a cooked food stall in a hawker centre or coffee shop within the last three months or are looking into entering the trade for the first time from 15 August 2016, the fund can be used to offset costs for any aspects of the hawker’s business, except for rental costs. As the key aim of Tiger Beer’s street food movement is to preserve our local street food culture, applicants need to serve local street food dishes in order to qualify.

The open call for applications runs till 15th November 2016 and recipients will be announced in January 2017.

Being a new hawker or someone who has no experience in the hawker trade, you may not know how best to spend the S$10,000 wisely. Hence, I took to the streets and asked a couple of hawker stall owners to dish out some valuable advice that will help new and aspiring hawkers as they look into succeeding in this trade:

Ah Hui Big Prawn Noodle
Ah Hui Big Prawn Noodle has two stalls at Balestier Food Centre and Kovan Food Centre. Mary of Ah Hui Big Prawn Noodle shared with me that gas is the biggest operating cost of hawker, taking a big chunk of hawker’s earning. She would like to spend the S$10,000 on energy saving (gas saving) cooking equipment which can help her save up to 50% of her gas bill.

Fishball Story
Fishball Story is one of the 17 hawker stalls that has been announced in the first ever Singapore Michelin Bib Gourmand list. Fishball Story has two stalls at Timbre+ and NUS Utown. Douglas of FIshball Story commented on how a shortage of manpower can potentially affect his business and he would like safeguard his business by spending it on automation that will help to increase productivity and efficiency.

Iskina Cebu
Serving Bisdak favourites such as Lechon Cebu, Spicy BellyChon, Liempo ala Balamban and Inasal nga Mano at Timbre+, Chris Calledo will prioritize on educating and training himself for future growth. To start a business, one probably already has a good and successful concept but may not have the skill set to handle the growth. Hence, Chris would like to invest the S$10,000 in the right management courses that teaches growth management and the principles of being a good leader.

Jin Ji Teochew Braised Duck
Jin Ji Teochew Braised Duck at Smith Street Food Centre (Chinatown Complex) has recently expanded its business overseas into Manila, Philippines. Melvin of Jin Ji Teochew Braised Duck warns me that running a stall at hawker centre and kopitiam is different. Hawker centre vendors might have a lower rental cost through the bidding system but are not allowed to employ foreign workers and it is getting harder to employ permanent residents or local helpers. For kopitiam, you might be allowed to employ foreign worker under the kopitiam quota but it comes with higher rental cost. Hence, it is better to invest the $10,000 in technology that helps to cut down on manpower. On top of that, Melvin also recommends to save up some of the fund for rainy days as new stalls will take around 3 to 6 months to gain customer base and make a profit.

Roasted Paradise
Running a popular roasted meat stall at Old Airport Road, Kai of Roasted Paradise mentioned that his fridge freezer has been breaking down and hence he would use the S$10,000 to get the best fridge freezer that will help to maintain the good quality of his ingredients. He would also spend part of the funding on décor and ventilation of the stall, to provide his team with a better working environment and his patrons with a better dining experience.

Uncle Chicken Rice
Uncle Chicken Rice is owned by Niven, the son of former Sin Kee Famous Chicken Rice at Margaret Drive Food Centre. A veteran hawker himself, he would use the S$10,000 to buy a dish washing machine that will eliminate the need for a dishwashing staff, allowing him to save on that and focus on providing quality food for his patrons.

XIAN Seafood White Beehoon
A veteran in F&B, Mr Francis Mak of Café de Hong Kong has recently opened Xian Seafood White Beehoon at Ubi Ave 1 with other partners. He reminded all new hawkers that it is not easy to be one. One must have a determined mindset, willing to get their hands dirty and work long hours – longer than your own staff. He mentioned that if he’s given $10,000, he would use it in market research and learning from experienced F&B entrepreneurs, to refine his product and market it effectively to the public.

I would like to extend my greatest gratitude to the above hawkers and F&B vendors for taking their time to share with us their experience and advise on how successful applicants can spend the $10,000 Tiger Street Food Support Fund. If you are looking to venture into the hawker business or have just recently set up a hawker stall, a note that the application process will close on 15th December 2016. Hence, do take the opportunity and do not miss the chance to apply for the fund. Find out more about the Tiger Street Food Support Fund and apply at http://www.tigerbeer.com.sg/uncage/streetfood.

Note: This post is brought to you by Tiger Beer Singapore

Thank You For Being The Real Heroes Of Our Hawker Heritage

When I first saw the series of videos released by Tiger Beer Singapore in conjunction with their Street Food Movement to preserve our hawker heritage earlier this year, I was moved and touched by it. The videos show the unappreciated hardship of the hawkers, giving them their due recognition which they fully deserved. It is great to know that Tiger Beer Singapore has continued to champion this movement and has released another two videos featuring Madam Wong Li Er of Cambridge Road Hong Kong Roast Pork and Deniece Tan of Truly Test Kitchen.

To be frank, Cambridge Road Hong Kong Roast Pork at Pei Kio Food Centre has never been on my radar until I watched the video released by Tiger Beer.

This is one of two short films, featuring our hawkers which aim to rally Singaporeans to show their appreciation and gratitude to the hawkers – the people behind our iconic local street food and culture.

Madam Wong Li Er is a 65 years old hawker selling Hong Kong-style roasted meat for the past 50 years. Although Madam Wong claims that she’s just a hawker and does not have many skills, this does not deter her from giving back to society and the needy by giving out food coupons to the elderly twice a month for them to redeem meals at her stall.

After watching the video, I made a trip down to Pei Kio Food Centre hoping to have a taste of her roasted meat. While I was queuing for my food, I observed how Madam Wong seems to know everyone in the queue, breaking her usual routine to greet and catch up with them. Some of her regular patrons noticed her from the short film and started teasing her that she is now a star, with photos and the video being played all over. I ordered a plate of Roasted Duck and Char Siew Rice which comes with complimentary stir-fried cabbages, which may be a simple accompaniment to my meal, but felt meaningful and from Madam Wong’s heart, to provide her customers with a balanced meal. The thought of it made me feel bad and embarrassed. It struck me that we are quick to criticize on the food that is served to us but have we ever stop and show our gratitude to these unsung heroes? Even just a simple thank you?

The other video features Deniece Tan of Truly Test Kitchen, a former foreign exchange banker who decided to follow her passion and started the 'Truly' Curry Rice business with her business partner Joel. They painstakingly created the brand name 'Truly' Curry Rice from scratch and have grown the Truly Brand into a business focused on bringing delicious local food at amazing value to people from all walks of life.

With great interest, I understand that she has jumped onto the bandwagon of online delivery boom and bringing the whole hawker business online. While they are many ideas being suggested on how to preserve the hawker heritage, Deniece has put that into action. She could very well be the first hawker to embrace technology and using it as a platform to preserve our local street food.

Having taken street food for granted, it’s time to preserve what we love. With all the empty talks, it is time to show some appreciation for our favourite hawkers by simply saying a ‘Thank You’. Singaporeans can play their part and get involved in the street food movement by simply taking a photo of their favourite street food experiences – be it a local dish or of the lovely hawkers behind it, with ‘thank you’ messages and share them on Facebook or Instagram with the hashtag #uncagestreetfood.

Besides the series of videos, Tiger Beer has also collaborated with local business Camel, introducing the Nasi Lemak Sambal Flavoured Nuts. Consumers will receive a packet of the limited edition Nasi Lemak Sambal Flavoured Nuts with purchase of two 500ml cans of Tiger Beer (2 x 500ml) at select convenience stores, while stocks last. The Nasi Lemak Sambal Flavoured Nuts will also be available with purchase of three pints of draught beer or a bucket of Tiger Beer at select bars and pubs, while stocks last.

For aspiring entrepreneurs out there, Tiger is following through its commitment to help hawkers in the first phase of the movement, launching its inaugural Tiger Street Food Support Fund, accepting applications from now till 15 December on Tiger Beer's website. The Tiger Street Food Support Fund will allow all new hawkers to apply for and receive up to S$10,000 in funding from Tiger Beer, which will be given to successful applicants via reimbursement. This is only open to hawkers who have set up a cooked food stall in a hawker centre or coffeeshop within the last three months, or are looking into entering the trade for the first time. Up to 30 applicants with complete entries will be selected, and the announcement of successful applicants will be made in January 2017.

With the opening of two new hawker centres in Q1 next year – Jurong West and Pasir Ris Town, the inaugural Tiger Street Food Support Fund will definitely help to keep our hawker culture alive!

For more information of Tiger Beer’s street food movement, please log on to Tiger Beer Singapore’s website at http://www.tigerbeer.com.sg/uncage/streetfood and Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/TigerBeerSG


Note: This post was brought to you by Tiger Beer