With operational costs and ingredient prices on the rise, many F&B businesses have had no choice but to raise their prices in tandem in order to cope.
This new hawker stall, which opened on June 15 in an industrial park in Woodlands, however, has done the opposite by offering a cai fan (economic rice) buffet for $7.
For only $7, customers at R&B Cai Fan can load up their plates or takeaway boxes with any amount of items they fancy.
There are no restrictions to how much food and how many items they can take at once. Refills are not allowed, however.
The stall in Polaris @ Woodlands prepares up to 20 freshly cooked dishes daily, which include offerings such as herbal chicken and braised pork knuckle, as well as seafood items such as cereal prawns, salted egg squid and sambal clams.
While this concept is not new to Singapore and was common back in the day, owner Benson Tong told AsiaOne that he and co-owner Royce Lee hope to stand out with their friendlier price point.
“These days, once you pick seafood dishes, your plate easily costs $8 or $9. Plus, you’re limited in how much variety you can get.”
When asked how they ensure this business model remains sustainable, Benson said that the pair works with trusted suppliers to secure competitive ingredient prices.
He explained that since the stall operates at high volume, their purchasing costs stay lower.
“We’re not afraid of customers piling their plates high. We pass our cost efficiencies directly back to them,” he added.
According to Benson, he and Royce pumped $60,000 into this venture.
They also chose to open the stall in an industrial park to have access to the nearby office crowd as well as residents in the area, he said.
R&B Cai Fan is Benson and Royce’s second hawker stall together. The pair also runs R&B Grill in the same canteen, which serves up Western fare such as pork knuckle, ribs and sourdough pizza, among other items.
The trade is not new for them. The two owners have many years of experience in the F&B industry prior to this.
The cai fan stall currently only opens for lunch.
However, Benson shared that starting end-July, R&B Cai Fan will transform into R&B Korean BBQ and Steamboat during nights and weekends.
It will offer a 90-min all-you-can-eat Korean barbecue and hotpot experience.
There are also plans to gradually introduce more diverse menu items at the stall, such as Peranakan and Thai dishes, and expand the concept to more locations, Benson told us.
Address: 101 Woodlands Ave 12, #01-06 MR2, Singapore 737719
Opening hours: Mon-Fri, 11am to 3pm (Closed on Saturdays and Sundays)
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bhavya.rawat@asiaone.com
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