\n<\/p>\n
Other catering formats are also gaining traction.<\/span><\/p>\n At Bellygood Caterer,\u00a0CEO of events and catering\u00a0<\/span>Sunil Shamdasani said\u00a0bentos and small party sets are growing in popularity as they are generally more economical than buffets\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Demand for small party sets has been particularly strong among people aged 27 to 35. Mr Shamdasani attributed this to shrinking family sizes and smaller homes, which make buffet spreads less practical and cost-effective.<\/span><\/p>\n Among corporate clients, especially those with large production teams like in manufacturing, he has also observed a rise in bento orders.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n A bulk order of bentos can serve the same number of people as two buffet lines, but at a lower cost. Individually packed meals also offer greater flexibility for employees working in shifts, he added.<\/span><\/p>\n However, these orders \u2013 especially\u00a0large numbers of bento sets \u2013\u00a0 are labour-intensive to produce,\u00a0he said.<\/span><\/p>\n “Imagine – you have 1,000 bentos, so the manpower has gone into them. It\u2019s sort of a net gain \u2026 but it’s still an increase of about 20 per cent of our manpower costs in totality, with your full-time and your casual labour. It\u2019s still a hit on margins,\u201d he said.<\/span><\/p>\n With shifting consumer preferences and mounting cost pressures, Dr Elhajjar said he believes businesses will need to adapt.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cBy implementing technologies like AI \u2026 into the operation system, it can be much more productive and efficient,\u201d he added.<\/span><\/p>\n