Singapore: Restaurant, nightlife associations call for rental, food delivery commission relief

• May 21, 2021

THE Restaurant Association of Singapore (RAS) and the Singapore Nightlife Business Association (SNBA) have called for rental support from landlords and commission support from food delivery platforms, while dining out is banned for almost a month under stricter Covid-19 measures.

They are asking for commission rebates or waivers of 50 per cent from food delivery platforms, and rental rebates or waivers of 100 per cent, according to open letters published on social media on May 16.

The RAS noted in a separate social media post on Friday that food establishments still suffered reduced sales of 40-90 per cent “across the board” over the first few days after the dining-in ban kicked in, even though many members were more prepared this round and managed to “switch gears more quickly to food delivery mode”.

So far, some mall operators including CapitaLand, Mapletree Commercial Trust and Suntec City have pledged to provide tenants with support including rental relief. Details on the rental relief tenants would receive have been scant, however.

Some food delivery platforms, meanwhile, are making temporary changes to their fee structures.

The RAS and SNBA said in their letters that they are “willing and ready to have meaningful engagement” with food delivery partners and landlords. “We hope to weather this storm together,” they wrote.

Source: https://www.businesstimes.com.sg/sme/restaurant-nightlife-associations-call-for-rental-food-delivery-commission-relief