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SINGAPORE \u2014 Dim sum restaurant Yum Cha, a 25-year-old brand long reliant on walk-in diners, officially launched its catering arm only last month \u2014 and the move is already paying off.<\/p>\n
With two outlets, the restaurant said it has seen a clear decline in dine-in demand this year compared with last, as customers turn more price-sensitive.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But since launching its catering website, there is already a “significant” increase in revenue, with catering already making up 5 per cent of the brand’s total sales.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThose that love good quality dim sum for a change instead of the usual catering fare will try us out,\u201d a Yum Cha spokesperson said.<\/p>\n
Buoyed by the response, Yum Cha plans to expand its catering operations, though it has no immediate plans to open more outlets. \u201cWe\u2019ll continue to innovate our menu and service offerings,\u201d the brand said.<\/p>\n
Yum Cha is among a growing number of F&B operators pivoting towards catering this year, amid a turbulent period for restaurants.<\/p>\n
According to the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI), restaurant sales fell 6 per cent year-on-year in the second quarter of 2025.<\/p>\n
The red ink comes as several well-known eateries have shut down \u2014 including the Prive restaurant chain, heritage zi char stalwart Ka-Soh, and Haidilao\u2019s Bedok Mall and Clarke Quay outlets.<\/p>\n
In total, over 3,000 F&B establishments closed in 2024, the highest number in nearly two decades.<\/p>\n
But even as restaurants struggle, catering has emerged as a rare bright spot, owing to the growth of Singapore’s events industry as well as the growing trend of employees working from offices instead of home.<\/p>\n
Food caterers saw sales jump 17.8 per cent year-on-year in the second quarter, according to MTI’s figures.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n