When opening a new F&B business, one of the important decisions that have to be made is the service style of your establishment. The chosen service style is essentially an element of your restaurant concept and this should not be overlooked. Service styles usually determine things like the layout, menu, inventory, decor, and food prices of your F&B business. In Singapore, there are numerous different service styles in the F&B industry. Read on to find out more about the characteristics of the main types of service styles in Singapore and the inside scoops on how you can pick the right styles for your restaurant business!
What are the different F&B service styles in Singapore?
Examples of common service styles in Sg:
Fine / Semi-fine dining
The service that you will provide would be on a one to one basis where the waiter/ chef will give an introduction of each dish, the preparation and cooking method used for the dish before serving it for the customer to taste. Semi-fine-dining usually comes with a 4-5 course where there is either one option or limited options in the multi-course meal. Some restaurants may only provide one choice for each course, while some may provide more options for customers to pick and choose from. However, customers are allowed to specify their dietary requirements.
Unlike casual restaurants, semi-fine dining service rules are stricter as a high standard of service is required from staff. Fine dining establishments hire staff that can deliver elegance, experience, and knowledge to the dining experience. For example, the tone of staff working in fine- dining is usually warm and formal. “ Greetings like “Good evening Sir” would be used, as opposed to an informal greeting like “ Hello, how is it going tonight.”. Staff must never reach a guest across the table and they have to ensure that all used plates must be removed and replaced at the end of each course.
Bistro / Cafe
The dishes offered are contemporary cuisine that is simple, yet refined, and puts a spin on classic dishes. The dishes are moderately priced in a modest setting with alcohol such as wine. A Bistro/Cafe is more casual as compared to semi-fine dining, where there is no specific dress code, and staff usually serve their customers.
For casual dining F&B businesses like bistro/cafes, the staff will still provide the full service of serving the food to you but they are less experiential and less expensive. The customer experience is quicker as compared to fine/semi-fine dining restaurants whereas, in fine dining restaurants, the guests sit and fully experience a meal from start to finish.
Coffeeshop / Hawker stall
This style needs no introduction – simple self-service where customers queue at the stall, order, make payment, then pick up their food when it’s ready. F&B owners in this service style are not necessarily uptight about how they speak and they often don't need to follow etiquettes and rules.
For coffee shops/hawker stalls are quicker in using up their ingredients as the pace of service is fast and the cost of ingredients is relatively low.
This service style follows the ‘sharing plate’ format. Customers are seated on the same table with large serving platters set on the dining tables by servers to share. The dishes are presented on platters. For example, dishes served in Asian family dining restaurants include Teochew steamed fish, yam brisket and more.
Family dining
Family dining caters well to families with children groups of friends. This can be commonly seen in restaurants serving Chinese and Indian cuisines in Singapore. The service staff here require less experience as compared to bistros.
Buffet style
This service style is a unique one as compared to the other styles. In a buffet, there are many different types of dishes placed on the counter and customers have the liberty to choose what they want to eat, and how much they want to take. Some buffets may have their service staff behind the buffet counters to assist customers to plate their food.
To learn about the experience with coming up with service styles for their outlets, we spoke to 5 different F&B owners to find out more about their views on service styles around the world.
* The following is an excerpt from conversations with 5 F&B owners.
Semi- fine dining
Restaurant Beurre: Mag operates a semi fine-dining restaurant selling fusion modern- European cuisine.
Bistro
Walaku: Hairul specializes in Asian-Western fusion food and Walaku is set in a sophisticated, cozy, and casual dining ambiance which is perfect for gatherings of families, friends, colleagues.
Family style dining
Sri Kumbhakarna: Mani sells homemade dishes that create a feel of a mother cooking for her family. Mani came from India to Singapore in 2017 and he brought his father’s restaurant concept to Singapore. Sri Kumbhakarna has 2 outlets, 1 at Changi and the other one at Race Course road.
Bonding Kitchen: Danny and Celine started out initially as a private diner in Johor Bahru serving Peranakan Cuisine. Mr Danny then went on to start Bonding Kitchen in Sg, to cater to the demand and as well as to spend more time with his family.
Hawker style
Madas Nasi Lemak : Mr. Adam from Madas Nasi Lemak has 3 Nasi Lemak stalls namely in Yishun, Tampines, and Bedok. Besides that, he is using his Bedok hawker stall to perform Research and Development (R&D) on how to improve the business and coming up with creative dishes for the menu.
2. What are the factors to consider before deciding on a particular service style?
Look at the message that you want to convey to your customers
If you are all about advocating quality time together, some of the qualities you may look for is that your customers are able to sit down for a good 3-4 hours for a meal, and perhaps not wanting them to finish their food quickly. Then you might be looking for a family style dining.
We spoke to Celine from Bonding Kitchen and she mentioned that she and her husband want their customers to relax and bond over a meal. Currently, her customers' age falls between the range of 50-60 years old and it is common that people at this age love spending quality time with their family and friends. Hence, being a family service style restaurant was the way to go for them.
Look at the cost your business F&B business
Cost is very important in determining the type of service as it will depend on whether you can open a fine-dining restaurant, a bistro, or a coffee shop/hawker stall.
We spoke to Mr. Adam from Madas Nasi Lemak and learnt more about the reason behind the coffee shop service style they went for. Mr. Adam mentioned that it is more manageable to start with a small stall so that he and his co-owner, Ms. Dyna can handle the crowd. Often, when opening an F&B business in Singapore, a large sum of money needs to be forked out. With Mr Adam and Ms Dyna having very low funds back then, opening a coffee shop stall was the best way to start out for them. Besides that, opening a coffee shop stall would be an excellent way to slowly build their brand presence with a small amount of cost as compared to fine-dining restaurants.
Solving a gap in the market
There could be a problem in the market that can be solved with an idea and possibly bring in additional profits to your business.
Sri Kumbhakarna’s outlet on Race Course road outlet has 2 levels and Mani told us that he is thinking of opening a buffet and bar service at the second storey of the outlet. To him, time was the factor that sparked an inspiration to create buffet service. During the lunchtime crowd, many customers tend to not have a lot of time as they have to get back to work after lunch. Due to this, his aim was to provide a buffet service so that his customers do not have to wait for their food to be cooked and served to them during peak hours.
Similarly, Mag started her restaurant as she had a passion for dining in fancy restaurants but they were too costly on her wallet. She felt that there was a space in the market where she could provide semi fine-dining food and service at an affordable price. As Mag says, “In Singapore, we do not have many places that serve fancy food at an affordable price, so I decided to start Restaurant Beurre so that people like me can get to eat fancy food without causing a hole in their wallet.”
3. How do I know what kind of SOPs are needed with each service style?
Having Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for service staff is needed as it helps to standardize procedures, allowing a smoother flow of operations and also helps the establishment to stick to that particular service style. This ensures the quality of the service provided to the customer, increasing the efficiency of the F&B business as a whole.
Having the right attitude
We found out that one of the most important traits that all staff must have is having the right attitude. Having the right attitude will result in great customer service. All 5 of our F&B owners agreed to this as without having the right attitude, customers would not feel welcome at all and they might not return even if the quality of food is good.
Mag wanted Restaurant Beurre to exhibit characteristics of a fun and lively environment even though they are a semi fine-dining restaurant. Waiters will interact with the customers and they will explain the food in a casual and friendly way. Mag wants to make her customers feel like they are at home where they can relax and enjoy the food prepared by the chef. As a result of treating their customers like their friends and family, customers keep coming back for the service and the food!
Presentation of dishes
Other than being consistent in order taking and service, Hairul from Walaku mentioned that the presentation of dishes is very important and every dish that leaves his kitchen has to look pleasant and identical to the ones served previously. Any difference observed with the same dishes may result in customers being unhappy or losing interest in your restaurant. We definitely wouldn’t want that to happen! For example, if your dish comes with a side of salad, every plate that comes out from the kitchen has to have a salad of the same size, with the same ingredients.
Billing
In terms of billing, it is important to remember to have a protocol for all staff to follow. It is advisable for F&B outlets to have a dedicated POS system to help in calculating total bills, splitting of bills and dealing with discounts. This is to ensure accuracy of your customer spending, but it also makes it easy for your business to track sales.
For example, in fine/semi-fine dining, it is common for staff to present a bill folder that has the cheque and stationery to the customers. Whereas in cafes and coffee shops/hawker centers, it is usually self-service whereby customers have to go to the counter or store itself to make their payments.
Using the iCHEF POS system can help to record all the billing details and help you track these bills easily despite the different styles of SOPs mentioned above. This reduces the instances of bills going missing and increases efficiency in the billing process.
4. How are the service styles in Singapore different as compared to the service styles overseas (India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Europe)?
Ms. Celine told us that the difference between Malaysia and Singapore is that Malaysian service staff tend to be more traditional. They are used to the traditional way such as memorising orders or noting orders down on paper. As a result, orders often get forgotten or mixed up. Whereas most of the F&B’s in Singapore use a Point Of Sale (POS) system to take their orders, sometimes with mobile ordering devices to be even more efficient. Streamlining the order taking process, simplifies it and allows service staff to focus on providing better service.
Besides that, Mani told us that service has to be quick in Singapore as life here is very fast-paced and customers are often rushing back to the office after their meals and they have less patience. India approaches life in a slower manner which is more relaxing so people are more inclined to wait.
Lastly, Mag found that people in Singapore love to share their food with their family and friends. However, in most European countries, ‘tapas-style’ is seen as the norm, where food is portioned into individual plates.
All in all, there are different types of service style in the F&B industry and in order to determine what suits you the best you may consider the factors listed above before making your decision of your service style. Always remember that the key ingredients to a successful restaurant is the service provided by the restaurant!
Caroline Yap is the editor and intern at iCHEF Singapore. She manages iCHEF Club, a growing community of F&B owners in Singapore – organizing events, an online newsletter, and the F&B Entrepreneur Bootcamp, the only regular workshop on opening a new restaurant in the country. In her spare time, she loves drawing, painting, and creating new visuals. Her love for Korean food runs deep such that you can spot her at any famous Korean Restaurant in Singapore.
