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These Restaurant Concepts are killing it! Overcoming High Rents and Labour Cost. Here’s how [TBS 34]

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The F&B game in Singapore has never been tougher — soaring costs, demanding diners, and trends that change overnight. So how do you stay relevant when everyone’s fighting for the same customer?

Reggie and Amir sit down with two industry powerhouses who’ve built and rebuilt success from scratch: Meet the Guests:

  • Sarissa Rodriguez-Schwartz – CEO, SJS Group, a New Yorker-turned-Singaporean restaurateur who’s redefining what “value” means in dining.
  • Andrew Ing – COO, OUE Restaurant Group, managing icons like Chatterbox, Hanen, and Délifrance. A veteran who’s spent 40 years shaping how Singapore eats, drinks, and connects.

Learn:

  • Why the middle ground in dining is vanishing fast.
  • The art of charging more — and still making customers happy.
  • How to create experiences people can’t stop talking about.
  • What truly keeps a restaurant brand alive in 2025.

It’s real talk from operators who’ve weathered every storm — and they’re not sugarcoating it.

Tune in to learn what it really takes to stay relevant in the restaurant business in 2025 and beyond.

What We Discuss:

  • 02:05 - Guest Introduction
  • 06:41 - What’s your read on Singapore’s F&B landscape right now?
  • 10:24 - What price anchors actually matter to diners—$20, $50, or something else?
  • 13:04 - How do you validate what consumers truly value before you bet on a concept?
  • 14:41 - Which audience segment is the hardest to crack and why?
  • 17:15 - How do you keep innovating without losing the core of what your audience wants?
  • 21:01 - What’s your framework for choosing the next concept to launch?
  • 26:01 - How do standout operators negotiate with landlords and get invited into prime properties?
  • 30:35 - What single trait will most future-proof an F&B operator?
  • 33:12 - When do you decide to refresh a brand or overhaul a concept?
  • 38:12 - What’s one financial metric every operator should use for menu engineering?

Episode Resources:


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