SINGAPORE – Donate blood and get a discount on food at the Haidilao hotpot chain. Finesse an extra-long cheese pull off a pizza at Pizza Maru and get a discount. And the longer you are married, the bigger the discount off your bill at herbal duck restaurant chain Dian Xiao Er.
Gone are the days when diners bit when offered all-you-can-eat or drink deals. Restaurant operators are now finding more creative ways to draw diners, whether it is to tug at their heartstrings, help them achieve health and wellness goals, or encourage them to have a bit of fun and indulge.
These moves are happening in turbulent times for the restaurant scene. Diners have been making themselves scarce amid global economic and political uncertainties.
The war in the Middle East is also hitting diners’ pockets. Food and beverage business operators will not be spared either – surging oil and natural gas prices are expected to raise the cost of utilities, plastic packaging and raw materials.
Meanwhile, there is the relentless churn of restaurant openings and closings, with diners usually flocking to new, shiny restaurants.
Since diners started deserting restaurants at the end of 2023, operators have employed a number of strategies to lure them back.
Fine-dining restaurants opened casual offshoots with friendlier prices. Think one-Michelin-starred Buona Terra’s casual Locanda in Little India, and one-Michelin-starred Nae:um’s Korean steakhouse Gu:um in Keong Saik Road.
Other fine-dining and omakase restaurants have introduced lunch service, added shorter tasting menus for dinner or done away with tasting menus. Examples include one-Michelin-starred Araya’s $58 a person business lunch. Italian restaurant Altro Zafferano expanded its a la carte dinner menu and did away with its $148 tasting menu.
A raft of wallet-friendly Italian and French restaurants – including sio pasta at Raffles City, Tutto at One Holland Village and Jewel Changi Airport, Bouillon Gavroche at Mandarin Gallery and Les Canons at IOI Central Boulevard Towers – opened recently, serving handmade pasta, duck confit and foie gras, offerings considered upscale.
Others are taking creative and quirky approaches.
Dian Xiao Er, with 19 outlets here, gave a couple in their 90s a 74 per cent discount off their bill in 2025, the biggest discount it has given since it started the yearly promotion in 2024. In 2026, the promotion started on March 9, and will run until April 30.
Ms Lim Le Wei, 35, Dian Xiao Er’s assistant manager (marketing and communications), says: “We wanted to create a promotion that goes beyond a typical discount and instead feels personal and meaningful. Basing the discount on how many years a couple have been married allows us to celebrate the depth of their commitment and the journey they’ve shared together.
“It’s our way of honouring long-lasting love while giving couples a thoughtful reason to celebrate their anniversary with us.”
She says when the chain launched the promotion in April 2024, it received more than 100 inquiries and reservations. Some couples have tried to get the discount more than once, but she says staff explained that to keep things fair, each couple can redeem the offer only once.
Haidilao is offering diners who donated blood in 2026 a 20 per cent discount off food items at any of its 15 outlets on weekdays. To enjoy the discount, they need to produce proof of their blood donation.
Mr Deng Fuxing, 42, director of operations management of Haidilao Singapore, says the promotion is, in part, to mark the brand’s 32nd anniversary, which was in March 2026. He adds that with Singapore moving towards a super-aged society, there is a projected rise in the demand for blood.
He says: “This collaboration with the Singapore Red Cross is our way of giving back to the city that has supported us for over a decade, turning our celebration into a meaningful movement for a life-saving cause.”
The chain has seen a significant number of diners inquiring about the initiative, he says, adding that staff who have donated blood have also shared their experience with customers.
On the last Sunday of every month, steakhouse La Vache!, a brand from Hong Kong, transforms into a disco. Diners who fill up on unlimited steak frites can work off their meal by dancing.
A DJ, mirrored helmets and glow sticks add to the party atmosphere at the restaurant in Gemmill Lane.
Mr Reuben Davis, 38, business development manager of La Vache!, says: “It started with our guests. There are always moments when the music comes on and people begin to sing along and dance a little in their seats, and the energy shifts beyond just a meal.
“We saw that and thought, why not lean into it? Instead of the experience ending at the table, we created something that lets that energy carry on. Disco felt like a natural fit. It’s familiar and upbeat, and brings people together effortlessly.”
Over at Korean pizza brand Pizza Maru’s new restaurant at Changi Airport Terminal 2, diners who order its Salted Egg Chicago Pizza ($27.90) can get a discount on the pie based on the length of their cheese pull.
Pizza Maru has a special ruler for measuring the length of the cheese pull.
