SINGAPORE – Home-grown Putien restaurant chain has announced that it will absorb the 9 per cent goods and services tax (GST) and waive the 10 per cent service charge.
From Aug 20, this applies across all 19 Putien outlets, both Uncle Fong Hot Pot Restaurant outlets at Suntec City and Great World, and casual eatery Sam Leong St Chicken Rice at 12 Verdun Road.
This is not a temporary promotion, affirms Putien Group’s founder and chairman Fong Chi Chung, 56, who has been planning this since January.
He says in Mandarin: “With 19 Putien outlets, our scale and purchasing power have increased compared with when we had just one outlet. Over all these years, we have also learnt to control and manage our costs better. Now, we are in a position to return the support that Singaporeans have given to us.
“Also, if people are charged less, they are happier to dine and likely to come more frequently. This will, in turn, help our business to improve.”
He also assures diners that prices on the menu – known for its home-style Fujian cuisine – will not change, nor will portions shrink.
This move was meant to be announced earlier, says Mr Fong, but it was delayed in the light of the ByteDance food poisoning case on July 30.
The group’s catering arm Pu Tien Services and Chinese chain Yun Hai Yao – known here as Yun Nans – had their catering services suspended from July 31.
The Singapore Food Agency gave Pu Tien Services the green light to resume operations on Aug 10, followed by Aug 16 for Yun Hai Yao.
Mr Fong’s younger son Fong Chak Wai, 30, is the deputy supply chain director of Pu Tien Services, while his elder son Fong Chak Ka, 32, is Putien Group’s chief executive.
Since the incident, Mr Fong Chi Chung has been monitoring sales and customer traffic flow at the group’s restaurants and says that business is back to normal.
Addressing the issue, he says: “We trust ourselves, this has never happened before. But it happened anyway, and that is a pity.
“There are always challenges in this sector. In all our meetings, we are picking on our mistakes and finding ways to improve our service and food.”
The brand’s first outlet started in 2000 with its flagship restaurant in Kitchener Road – the only one to hold one Michelin star for seven consecutive years since 2016.
It lost its star in 2024, which, according to Mr Fong, affected his long-serving staff more than the business.
He recalls his staff going around with their heads hung low at the outlet on June 25 – the day of Michelin Guide Singapore’s announcement.
He says: “I went around telling them to relax and not to stress out about it. Everyone else is improving, so perhaps we didn’t do enough. To be able to maintain the star for seven years is very lucky.
“This is motivation for us to work even harder. Nothing is definitely yours, nor should it be expected.”
Moving forward, Mr Fong has his sights set on expansion into two new markets, London and Tokyo, in 2025. They add to 85 overseas outlets across China, as well as in Indonesia and the Philippines.
He does not rule out bringing Sam Leong St Chicken Rice overseas in the future.
He took over the 31-year-old business from its Hainanese founder who died in 2023, and relocated it in January to a stone’s throw from its former location in Verdun Road.
“It will be my way of honouring his legacy and fulfilling my responsibility to carry on the business,” says Mr Fong.
He is also looking to bring in a popular restaurant chain from China which specialises in Hakka cuisine.
So far, the group’s business is stable, although there is stiff competition from new players.
He says: “Diners may give new ones a chance. But they are more careful with spending and will return to the brands they are familiar with, even as they want more variety.”
