Mahjong, art fairs: F&B businesses look beyond food to attract diners

Facing weaker consumer spending and higher operating costs, some operators are trying new ways to build customer loyalty.

Yum Cha's "Mahjong Social Fridays" initiative has proven popular, with sessions fully booked for October and bookings stretching into November. (Image: CNA)

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SINGAPORE: At Chinatown restaurant Yum Cha, Friday afternoons are no longer just about serving dim sum.

Since August, the 26-year-old eatery has been hosting mahjong sessions during its quieter post-lunch hours from 2pm to 6pm.

The " Mahjong Social Fridays" initiative has proven popular, with sessions fully booked for October and bookings stretching into November.

"When we first started this Mahjong Social Fridays, I didn't really think so far. I thought okay, let's see who would be interested to play mahjong, okay, and then come for high tea," said Yum Cha executive director Melody Tan, a second-generation owner.

CNA Games Guess Word Crack the word, one row at a time Buzzword Create words using the given letters Mini Sudoku Tiny puzzle, mighty brain teaser Mini Crossword Small grid, big challenge Word Search Spot as many words as you can Show More Show Less Beyond boosting business, Ms Tan said the hope is to also draw a younger crowd to the heritage restaurant. "We thought this could be a nice way to have a nostalgic experience," she added. "I feel that a lot of young people, when I spoke to them, don't know how to play mahjong. But they are interested because they hear about it from their relatives, from other friends. But where do you learn mahjong from? Who's gonna teach you?" Yum Cha is observing a mix of young students, freelancers and retirees come through its doors, with some learning to play the game for the first time. But the larger goal is to foster a community of repeat customers. "We need to be able to build our pool of regulars, people who constantly remember us," Ms Tan said. "What mahjong social Fridays do for Yum Cha … people would ask each other at the end of the session: 'Are you coming again next week? I really enjoy playing with you.'" Yum Cha is among a growing number of food and beverage operators in Singapore looking beyond their menus to attract customers and build loyalty, as rising costs and weaker consumer spending squeeze the sector.

Beyond boosting business, Ms Tan said the hope is to also draw a younger crowd to the heritage restaurant.

"We thought this could be a nice way to have a nostalgic experience," she added.

"I feel that a lot of young people, when I spoke to them, don't know how to play mahjong. But they are interested because they hear about it from their relatives, from other friends. But where do you learn mahjong from? Who's gonna teach you?"

Yum Cha is observing a mix of young students, freelancers and retirees come through its doors, with some learning to play the game for the first time.

But the larger goal is to foster a community of repeat customers.

"We need to be able to build our pool of regulars, people who constantly remember us," Ms Tan said.

"What mahjong social Fridays do for Yum Cha … people would ask each other at the end of the session: 'Are you coming again next week? I really enjoy playing with you.'"

Yum Cha is among a growing number of food and beverage operators in Singapore looking beyond their menus to attract customers and build loyalty, as rising costs and weaker consumer spending squeeze the sector.

CUSTOMERS MORE SELECTIVE ABOUT DINING OUT

According to official data from the Department of Statistics, F&B sales fell 1.6 per cent year-on-year in August, the third consecutive month of decline.

Cafes recorded the steepest drop, with sales down 5.3 per cent, while restaurant sales fell 2.1 per cent.

Analysts said the figures suggest consumers are becoming more selective about dining out as cost-of-living pressures persist.

The Ministry of Trade and Industry noted the F&B services sector contracted in the second quarter this year, partly due to a sustained increase in outbound travel by locals and a decline in visitor arrivals.

“There's perhaps some trend that may point towards eating at home rather than to dine out. I think it overall reflects this sort of selectivity in terms of spending habits and maybe a search for value,” said Mr Jeff Ng, head of Asia macro strategy at Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation.

Mr Song Seng Wun, economic adviser at investment services SDAX, said that operators increasingly need to stay on top of emerging consumer trends and new concepts to remain competitive.

"This is where a lot of the larger players are more adept at using social media and being able to look at the trend," he added.

Chin Mee Chin Confectionery in Katong hosted an art and book fair in collaboration with independent bookstore Woods in the Books from Oct 2 to Oct 3, 2026 for Independent Bookstore Day. (Photo: CNA/Natalie Ong)

"AN EXPERIENCE TIED TO YOUR BRAND"

Over at Chin Mee Chin Confectionery in Katong, the heritage kopitiam recently stayed open beyond its usual 4pm closing time for two evenings to host an art and book fair in collaboration with independent bookstore Woods in the Books, for Independent Bookstore Day.

The Oct 2 to 3 event, a first for Chin Mee Chin, transformed its dining space into a marketplace featuring up-and-coming artists.

Like Yum Cha, it was aimed at introducing the decades-old brand to younger consumers.

"A lot of our brand is tied to the older generation who knows us from when we started," said the cafe's senior strategy lead Lim Sue Ying.

"What we're trying to do now is increase our exposure to a lot of the younger generation, and hopefully … they come back to visit us and support us in the future.”

The initiative came as Chin Mee Chin contends with higher operating expenses, with supplier and manpower costs rising around 15 per cent year-on-year.

Ms Lim believes tougher market conditions require F&B businesses to think "outside the box" and beyond traditional food offerings.

"We can't just stick to serving food and beverage, a lot of customers also want an experience tied to your brand," she said.

The cafe's strategy appears to be paying off. The event, which was also promoted on its Instagram page, brought a number of first-time customers through its doors.

“I haven't been to Chin Mee Chin before, I’m here because of the art fair,” said one visitor.

Ms Lim said the response was encouraging, adding: "It's great to see that a lot of the locals are still willing to come and travel to support their fellow local artists ... I think this is a great experience for us, and we definitely can look to do more of these similar events in the future."

Chin Mee Chin plans to organise more such collaborations as it looks to attract new customers and encourage repeat visits.

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面对消费者支出疲软和运营成本上升，一些运营商正在尝试新的方法来建立客户忠诚度。

Yum Cha推出的“麻将社交星期五”活动大受欢迎，10月份的场次已全部预订完毕，11月份的场次也已排满。（图片：CNA）

这段音频由人工智能工具生成。

新加坡：在唐人街的饮茶餐厅，周五下午不再只是供应点心。

自 8 月以来，这家已有 26 年历史的餐馆在午餐后较为清闲的下午 2 点至 6 点举办麻将活动。

“麻将社交星期五”活动广受欢迎，10 月份的活动已经全部预订完毕，11 月份的预订也已排满。

“我们最初推出‘麻将社交星期五’活动时，我并没有想得那么远。我当时想，好吧，看看谁有兴趣打麻将，然后大家一起来喝下午茶，”饮茶餐厅执行董事、第二代店主陈美玲说道。

CNA游戏 猜词游戏 逐行破解单词 流行词游戏 用给定的字母组成单词 迷你数独 小小的谜题，强大的脑力挑战 迷你填字游戏 小方格，大挑战 单词搜索 尽可能多地找出单词 显示更多 显示更少 除了促进生意，谭女士表示，他们也希望吸引更多年轻人光顾这家历史悠久的餐厅。“我们认为这可以成为一种很好的怀旧体验，”她补充道。“我和很多年轻人交谈时发现，他们都不会打麻将。但他们很感兴趣，因为他们从亲戚朋友那里听说过。但是，去哪里学麻将呢？谁来教你呢？” 饮茶餐厅的顾客构成十分多元，包括年轻学生、自由职业者和退休人士，其中一些人是第一次学习打麻将。但他们更大的目标是培养一批回头客。“我们需要建立起一批忠实顾客，让他们能够一直记得我们，”谭女士说道。 “麻将社交星期五对饮茶来说意义非凡……大家会在打完麻将后互相问：‘你下周还来吗？我真的很喜欢和你一起打麻将。’”随着成本上升和消费者支出疲软，新加坡餐饮业面临压力，饮茶等越来越多的餐饮企业正寻求菜单以外的方式来吸引顾客并建立顾客忠诚度。

谭女士表示，除了促进生意之外，她还希望吸引更多年轻人光顾这家历史悠久的餐厅。

她补充说：“我们认为这可能是一种令人怀旧的好方法。”

“我跟很多年轻人聊过，感觉他们都不会打麻将。但他们对麻将很感兴趣，因为他们从亲戚朋友那里听说过。可是，去哪儿学麻将呢？谁来教你呢？”

Yum Cha 的顾客群体十分多元化，包括年轻学生、自由职业者和退休人士，其中一些人还是第一次学习玩这款游戏。

但更大的目标是培养回头客群体。

“我们需要建立起一批稳定的回头客，让他们能够一直记得我们，”谭女士说。

“周五的麻将社交活动对饮茶来说意义非凡……大家会在活动结束后互相问：‘你下周还来吗？我真的很喜欢和你一起打麻将。’”

随着成本上升和消费者支出疲软，新加坡餐饮业受到挤压，饮茶等越来越多的餐饮运营商正寻求菜单以外的方式来吸引顾客并建立顾客忠诚度。

顾客外出就餐更加挑剔

根据统计部门的官方数据，8月份食品饮料销售额同比下降1.6%，这是连续第三个月下降。

咖啡馆的销售额降幅最大，下降了 5.3%，而餐馆的销售额下降了 2.1%。

分析人士表示，这些数据表明，随着生活成本压力持续存在，消费者在外出就餐方面变得更加挑剔。

贸易和工业部指出，今年第二季度餐饮服务业出现萎缩，部分原因是本地居民出境旅游持续增加，而游客到访量下降。

“或许存在一种趋势，即人们更倾向于在家用餐而不是外出就餐。我认为这总体上反映了人们在消费习惯上的这种选择性，或许也反映了人们对性价比的追求，”三井住友银行亚洲宏观策略主管吴杰夫先生表示。

投资服务公司SDAX的经济顾问宋成文先生表示，运营商越来越需要密切关注新兴的消费趋势和新概念，才能保持竞争力。

他补充说：“很多规模较大的公司更擅长利用社交媒体，并且能够洞察趋势。”

位于加东的Chin Mee Chin甜品店与独立书店Woods in the Books合作，于2026年10月2日至3日举办了一场艺术与书籍博览会，以庆祝独立书店日。（图片：CNA/Natalie Ong）

“与您的品牌紧密相连的体验”

位于加东的 Chin Mee Chin 糕点店是一家历史悠久的咖啡店，最近连续两个晚上延长营业时间，超过了通常的下午 4 点关门时间，与独立书店 Woods in the Books 合作举办艺术和书籍展，以庆祝独立书店日。

10 月 2 日至 3 日的活动是 Chin Mee Chin 的首次尝试，它将餐厅空间改造成一个以新兴艺术家为特色的市集。

与饮茶一样，它的目的是将这个拥有数十年历史的品牌介绍给年轻消费者。

“我们的品牌与老一辈人息息相关，他们从我们创业之初就认识我们，”咖啡馆高级战略主管林秀英说道。

“我们现在努力的目标是增加与年轻一代的接触，希望……他们将来能回来参观并支持我们。”

由于 Chin Mee Chin 面临更高的运营成本，供应商和人力成本同比上涨约 15%，因此推出了这项举措。

林女士认为，更严峻的市场环境要求餐饮企业跳出固有思维模式，超越传统的食品供应。

“我们不能只提供餐饮服务，很多顾客也希望获得与你的品牌相关的体验，”她说。

这家咖啡馆的策略似乎奏效了。此次活动还在其Instagram页面上进行了宣传，吸引了不少新顾客光顾。

一位游客说：“我以前没来过金美珍，这次来是因为艺术博览会。”

林女士表示，这样的反响令人鼓舞，并补充道：“很高兴看到很多当地人仍然愿意前来支持本地艺术家……我认为这对我们来说是一次很棒的经历，我们未来肯定会举办更多类似的活动。”

Chin Mee Chin计划组织更多此类合作，以吸引新顾客并鼓励回头客。

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