With our newest NG AH SIO Bak Kut Teh outlet at Resorts World Sentosa, JUMBO took an evolutionary step in the direction of self-serve dining, and overcame a major obstacle facing the F&B industry – a perennial shortage of manpower.

“Preserving traditional cuisines with significant cultural legacies is a cause I am passionate about,” said Group CEO Mr Ang Kiam Meng. He went on to highlight the key obstacle that stood in the way of success, along with the unique solution that it inspired. “Within the industry, the manpower crunch will continue to be one of our biggest challenges; so we built a solution.”

This solution comprised automated kiosks for self-ordering and payment, a food collection point and $1 deposit as incentive for returning trays, all working together in a system designed to ease customers into a spontaneous self-service mode right up to the clearing of tables.

In theory, by streamlining floor operations in this manner, we could minimise our manpower needs by 30 percent and hence improve productivity. However, market research painted a different picture. Observing others implement similar semi-automated systems showed us that things could quickly turn counterproductive – if crockery and utensils were not returned along with the trays. Extra hands would still be required to clear up the disarray left behind. Thus began a journey of rigorous testing over six months, revealing the improvisations needed in order to create a seamless user experience. 

The fruit of our labour? Singapore’s first ridged-top table! This unique design formed an uneven surface, discouraging diners from removing dishes from their trays and placing them directly on the table. This seemingly simple detail is a critical part in the success of the tray return solution which resulted in diners keeping all bowls and cutlery on their trays, throughout their meal. This made returning the trays along with all accompanying crockery easy and convenient after they finished eating. 

The only flat surface you will find is an exquisitely-tiled panel at the midsection of two tables. Anticipating Singaporeans’ love of sharing food, the panel is a communal space where customers can place their side dishes and condiments, while still keeping their main dishes on their trays.

Another innovation that sprung from this exercise was the customised tray return point. Slopes with just the right degree of incline and strategically spaced rollers slide trays, loaded with porcelain, safely down to the dishwashing area. There, all that is required is one employee to operate the dishwashing machine.

These proved to be the missing keys to our success in re-shaping diners’ behaviour and adapting them to the fully self-service “ecosystem” that we had set out to achieve. We are happy to share that our objectives of minimising our manpower needs and optimising productivity have been comprehensively met. 

“We are proud to have created a way to help our business evolve and meet challenges such as the manpower crunch, before we lose these heritage brands, along with the priceless recipes and techniques behind them.” added Mr Ang.  

Even as JUMBO continues to expand, we will not lose sight of our vision to be the leading F&B Group advocating Singapore food culture. Technology and innovation are just one of the many ways we will continue to ensure the preservation of the very best of our local favourites.