SINGAPORE, May 21 — With the launch of the Republic’s first two innovative, manpower-lean coffee shops in Tampines and Choa Chu Kang, three more sites for such “productive” coffee shops will be put up for tender.
The tender for these sites, in Bukit Batok, Punggol and Yishun, will be called from the third quarter of this year, said Senior Minister of State for Trade and Industry Sim Ann today.
Over the weekend, two “productive” coffee shops — thus named for their use of technology in both back-end and front-of-house operations to boost productivity — were launched.
Happy Hawkers in Tampines is run by Koufu, while FoodTastic in Choa Chu Kang is run by Chang Cheng.
Both employ a raft of technology-driven initiatives. For example, a tray-return robot goes around Happy Hawkers for customers to return their trays once they are done with their meals. Once its racks are filled, the robot heads to the washing area so cleaners can take over the dirty dishes.
At FoodTastic, an automated floor-cleaning robot and automated dish-sorting equipment help in the clean-up tasks.
Both operators won the tender put out in September last year under new bidding process to boost productivity under the food services’ Industry Transformation Map.
To encourage operators to look at innovative ways to optimise their use of manpower and space, such as through use of digital self-service and kitchen automation, equal weightage is given to both rental bids and productivity improvement initiatives.
Commenting on the transformation of traditional coffee shops, Spring Singapore chief executive Poon Hong Yuen said: “Given the manpower challenges, coffee shop operators would have to revamp the traditional business model and use technology to improve operations. The transformation of coffee shops would not only ensure sustainability, but also improve the working conditions of staff.”
Currently, the coffee shops and food courts employ more than 20,000 workers, making up 13 per cent of the food services workforce.
The drive towards the a more productive operating model is crucial now, given the tightening labour market, and “changing job aspirations among locals”, said Spring Singapore and the Housing and Development Board.
On a visit to Happy Hawkers in Tampines yesterday, Environment and Water Resources Minister Masagos Zulkifli, noted some customers have given feedback that the new technology is “troublesome”.
But Masagos, who is also advisor to the Tampines added: “We have to ensure that as we grow the food and beverage trade, some of the things we are very used to — people clearing our trays, people taking our orders — are not going to be available any more. Because the people who do these kinds of jobs are going to be non-existent or we have to bring in foreign workers to do that. We have to adjust and take in new measures.” — TODAY
