Here is a picture of what I imagine my future looks like.

I'm at home with the baby. I cook and clean, feed and soothe. Maybe squeeze in a grocery run.

While the baby naps, I scribble out a few half-hearted lines for an article I probably won't have time to finish. I water the plants. I fantasise about getting a full eight hours' sleep.

Then the baby wakes, and I do it all over again.

Privilege

Please do not misunderstand. This future that I imagine shows not suffering, but privilege.

My husband and I want a child. So it is a privilege if I get to do so. It is a privilege if I can afford to take time off work; if I can stay home and look after my child, instead of delegating them to a helper or infant care.

This is something that I will choose with both eyes open. That, if offered to me, I will take without second thought.

But the existence of privilege does not mean the absence of sacrifice.

On May 4, Minister Indranee Rajah appeared in a CNA podcast, speaking about women who take career breaks to have children.

Women "may have to take some time out along the way", but the government will do its best to get them back on their career trajectory, she said.

Indranee, who chairs the Marriage & Parenthood Reset Workgroup, added, in an address to aspiring parents:

"In an ideal world, what we would hope is that that time out is not seen as a loss, or a sacrifice.

It is seen as a detour... a detour in which you gain something, something priceless and invaluable, which is your family.

And it still allows you to get back onto the path that you wanted."

As an aspiring parent myself, I'd like to say: Thank you for the thought, but this isn't something a policy can address fully.

Today I am 29 years old, and my life is all my own. I am competent, I am passionate, I am promising.

But where my male colleagues see an infinite horizon, I only see flatness. This is not a perception problem.

To use the minister's analogy of a path: my career is an alpine trail. There is an ascent and a descent, both steep.

And I am so very near the peak.

The difference

The picture changes, a few years later.

Now, I make time for paragraphs instead of lines. I spend my days overseeing my child's education, from kindergarten to swim classes to music practice.

Some days I even get to sleep through the night.

At home, my husband does far more housework than my father or my grandfather ever did. He helps feed the baby, reads to them, plays with them.

But his work life looks remarkably unchanged from what it is now. His natural ability has sharpened with experience, his intellect honed to wisdom with parenthood and age.

Maybe he does more difficult work, maybe he earns a little more. Maybe he's a leader in his workplace.

Some days when he ends work early, he manages a quick run before coming home. On weekends, we go to the park, the museum, and the zoo.

Every year or two, we pile into a rental car in Japan and drive around the countryside.

He takes the wheel, and I rock our child to sleep in the backseat.

And at night, I finally get to finish the article I've been working on. I clean it up, buff out the typos, and hit submit.

Success

This is not a story about how a woman gives up her promising career for good and becomes a full-time stay-at-home mum. It is not that diametric.

We're in Singapore, okay? This is what happens when I take — as many of my friends have — just a year or so off. Then switch to part-time work once the baby can walk, then gently transition back to the office once I run out of money and goodwill.

It is not the end. But it may be the start of the end.

Perhaps I have lost what momentum I might have had, with my middling skills bolstered by youth and fire. I can no longer spend all my free time on my career as I used to.

I have responsibilities now, and work will never be a priority again.

It will show when I take days off to nurse my sick child or skip team-bonding events for piano recitals. It will show when I wake up at 6am to make my child breakfast, and make mistakes due to my exhaustion.

It will show, because to imagine that it will not is privileged at best, and delusional at most realistic.

If my talent and time allows, perhaps I will recover some drive and make up for lost ground. Succeed at a project, get a promotion.

But whenever there's something really major, something really long-term, will my bosses pause to consider what happens if I choose to have a second child? If this all happens all over again?

Will they, then, choose to hand the responsibility to my male colleague instead?

Aspirations

It's easy to blame policy, cost-of-living, employers, double-income culture.

But I think that motherhood is inherently sacrificial. We know this through statistics, through anecdotes, when we look at our own mothers. The way their bodies and lives are moulded by their children.

I know I do, when I look at mine.

It's something that neither time nor geography can fully mitigate. Even societies that are purported paragons of equality have a tough time squaring the circle.

Studies in Scandinavian countries show women experience a "child penalty" in earnings compared to men — one that persists up to 20 years after a child's birth.

Neither it is a matter of hunger or drive. A CNBC survey in 2024 showed that women in the U.S. face significant setbacks in pay and promotions.

48 per cent of respondents maintained that they were "very ambitious", while 40 per cent described themselves as "somewhat ambitious". The penalty applied either way.

The line

Minister Indranee, I do not imagine that any of this is unknown to you.

You are a woman in a position of great power, one that you have surely worked your ass off to achieve. It would be foolish to deny your skill, your intellect, your labour.

But this is not an argument about phrasing or policy.

I am not missing the point on purpose. I understand what the government is trying to do: normalising these breaks, reducing the friction. I appreciate every bit of it, and even being a woman in the workforce today, I am a beneficiary of these efforts.

I have nothing against viewing motherhood as a "career detour". It is inherently a better scenario than seeing it as career suicide.

But there is always going to be a line: demarcating separate paths for men and women, when it comes to work and family.

Motherhood has been a sacrifice since the dawn of time. As the centuries pass, these sacrifices have changed (and I daresay lessened). Women are more independent, we have more options, we die a lot less in childbirth.

It is tempting to view this as a never-ending joyride of progress. But to do so, I think, would be a disservice to the Singaporean pragmatism we all know and love.

Becoming a mother means reshaping your life's expectations and aspirations. As a woman who plans on having a child, I know that my success has obsolescence built into its very bones.

But I also know that it will be all worth it, in the end.

A 31-year-old Filipino woman was sentenced to four weeks’ jail after she stole 20 bottles of alcoholic drinks worth S$1,216 from a supermarket in Novena.

Alosado Anamie Sorro reportedly stole the drinks on 12 separate occasions between Apr. 20 and May 15, 2026, Shin Min Daily News reported.

At the time of the offence, Sorro was working in Singapore on a work permit.

She pleaded guilty to one charge of theft.

Alcohol

In charge sheets seen by Mothership, she stole the alcohol from the NTUC Fairprice supermarket in Square 2 at Sinaran Drive.

Sorro stole five bottles of Chivas Regal Blue valued at S$118.00 each, five bottles of Chivas Regal valued at S$60.00 each, seven bottles of Jinro Green Grape soju valued at S$10.00 each, two bottles of Jack Daniel’s Whiskey valued at S$113.00 each, and a bottle of Brown Brother’s Sparkling Moscato Rose valued at S$30.00.

The value of the drinks amounted to S$1,216.

On each occasion, she transferred the bottles of alcohol from the supermarket's shopping basket into her own blue shopping trolley and left the store without paying for them.

Discrepancies

On May 15, the manager of the supermarket noticed discrepancies during a stock check.

He proceeded to review surveillance footage and discovered Sorro's actions.

He then lodged a police report.

Returned

On the next day, May 16, Sorro returned to the supermarket.

The manager recognised her and detained her before alerting the police.

Sorro was subsequently arrested.

The police recovered 14 of the stolen bottles.

She claimed that the remaining bottles were either given away to friends or had been consumed.

No restitution has been made.

Sentencing

During sentencing on Jun. 8, Sorro said she was remorseful and apologetic for her actions.

She said she hoped to return home and reunite with her family as soon as possible.

The Association of Banks in Singapore (ABS) has explained why "Xs" were used, instead of other characters like an asterisk, to mask certain letters in PayNow users' display names.

Responding to Mothership’s queries, Ong-Ang Ai Boon, Director of ABS, said that they are aware of the feedback that some PayNow users’ display names now feature unintended words following the introduction of masked names in place of nicknames.

Some PayNow users, such as those with surnames like “See”, found that their masked names now contained the word “SEX”.

In a statement on Jun. 9, Ong explained that “Xs” instead of asterisks were used to mask the names of users as not all PayNow-related systems across its 29 participating institutions currently support special characters.

“The letter ‘X’ was chosen to mask certain letters as it is widely recognised as a symbol for something concealed or missing, and visually resembles a cross-out mark,” Ong-Ang continued.

“ABS decided on this approach to swiftly disable a tool being exploited by scammers while maintaining a smooth PayNow experience,” Ong-Ang shared.

Ong-Ang also said: “We seek customers’ understanding and will continue to review feedback for future improvements.”

A Singaporean woman was behind an immigration investment scheme where foreigners could gain employment passes through fake work arrangements as a pathway to obtaining Singapore permanent residency (PR).

Wang Jue, a 43-year-old Singapore citizen, was convicted on Jun. 5 of one count of conspiring to make a false statement in a declaration form for an employment pass, reported CNA.

She reportedly denied the charge and any involvement in the application process for the employment pass.

According to CNA, the prosecution said Wang was shifting blame to a fictitious character named Wang Wei.

Previously, in October 2023, a Chinese national who "invested" S$360,000 in the scheme in exchange for an employment pass was sentenced to four weeks' jail.

Central role in scheme

CNA reported that prosecutors from the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) argued that Wang played a central role in the scheme, accusing her of designing the investment proposal, facilitating arrangements, and collecting fees for her services.

Wang was accused of abetting two men, Zhang Qingqiao and Ang Sek Chai, to make a false statement that Zhang would be employed under Ang's company, MW Dynamics.

Testifying before the prosecution, Zhang said his immigration assistant introduced him to Wang as an immigration agent, reported CNA.

Ang, who was the director of MW Dynamics, was also introduced to Wang as someone who could bring investors from China to expand the company.

Immigration investment proposal

According to CNA, Zhang said he first met Wang in September 2019, when she introduced him to an immigration investment proposal in the form of PowerPoint slides titled "Singapore Equity Investment Immigration Proposal".

The slides detailed the steps to apply for Singapore PR status and also contained various investment proposals.

Zhang testified that the slides had the same terms that were adopted in the investment agreement between him and Ang.

The terms consisted of a S$360,000 investment, a fixed dividend of S$10,000 a month for 36 months, and a provision for MW dynamics to grant him an employment pass.

Zhang said he did not know the pass required him to work, reported CNA.

He said prior to his application, he thought obtaining the employment pass was part of the basic process to obtaining Singapore PR status.

Trusted Wang

Zhang said he trusted Wang as she was the person who introduced the investment and immigration proposal and handled its execution, application, and liaison, reported CNA.

He transferred S$360,000 to her company account and received two invoices: a S$12,500 investment consultancy and professional service invoice, and another S$288,000 for "dividends investment fund".

According to charge sheets seen by Mothership, the declaration form for an employment pass was submitted to the Controller of Work Passes under MOM on Sep. 12, 2019.

Ang signed the same form, and an employment pass for Zhang was later issued despite Zhang having never worked or set foot on MW Dynamics' premises.

Yet, Zhang received S$10,000 monthly as his "salary" for 13 months.

Lawyer argued that Wang was middleman

Lawyer Luke Netto, who represented Wang, said the prosecution failed to prove the conspiracy beyond a reasonable doubt.

He said Wang was a middleman who assisted high-net-worth clients in achieving PR status and helped entrepreneurs invest and incorporate companies in Singapore, according to CNA.

He argued that Wang's dealings with Zhang were limited to his investment and had no connection to his MW Dynamics' employment.

He added that there was no agreement to make the false declaration between Wang, Zhang, and Ang.

District Judge Tan Jen Tse said the investment agreement was a sham and paid no real returns, with the only tangible benefit being Zhang receiving an employment pass.

The judge said Wang's evidence to a person named Wang Wei was unreliable and found that there was ample evidence to show Wang's involvement.

Wang's bail was revoked, she faces multiple pending charges, and she will return to court for mitigation and sentencing on Jul. 14, 2026.

For conspiring to make a false statement in an employment pass declaration form, she faces up to two years' jail and a fine of not more than S$20,000.

The Malaysian representative on Season 16 of MasterChef: Global Gauntlet, who won the week's “World Cup Cookoff” challenge, has apologised for her pronunciation of roti canai.

Jamie Tan, 27, who is a content creator, took to TikTok to address the backlash.

She said, "It makes me sad to disappoint so many Southeast Asians."

"I know how important it is to people, so I just wanted to say I'm sorry. It was not intentional at all, I do not mean to misrepresent a national dish on television."

Tan added that the pronunciation was a mistake and that she now knows how to pronounce roti canai.

Challenge victory

In the hour-long challenge, contestants were told to prepare the ultimate World Cup watch-party food.

The official MasterChef on Fox Instagram account shared a video of Tan's victory and the process of cooking the dish.

She was the overall winner of the challenge after cooking roti canai with Malaysian coconut curry, coconut rice, and cucumber and pineapple salad.

However, her pronunciation of roti canai angered some Malaysians.

In the video, Tan was seen explaining her dish to judge Tiffany Derry, where she pronounced the word, canai, with a hard "k" sound instead of a "ch".

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by MasterChef (@masterchefonfox)

Grandparents owned kopitiam

In her apology video, Tan said she was not raised in Malaysia and that she is Malaysian American.

She said, "We do not have many Malaysians here. My dad is from Johor, and both my grandparents even had a kopitiam before they passed away."

"I feel strong roots to Malaysia and feeling like I was carrying that or like representing Malaysia on the show was just so meaningful to me so of course I'm upset at myself."

She explained why she cried multiple times in the aired footage of the show, saying that "when I finished my roti, I knew that it was not a perfect roti".

"It takes hours for the gluten to develop, and [when] people properly make it, they actually rest the dough overnight, so it was a huge risk for me to do in under 60 minutes."

'Spare me please'

Tan broke down the dish she prepared in under 60 minutes and said, "Spare me please".

She added that she knew it would not be perfect, but there would not have been another opportunity for her to make the dish.

"There's so many beautiful dishes in Malaysia, it's like always my goal to show those foods."

She added, "I haven't even read all the comments because I know the criticism will like lowkey get to me because I am that hard on myself as well."

"Any type of criticism you guys thought of other than the roti canai incident, I have already thought of. I've beat myself for it again and again".

She concluded the video by saying, "Much love to Malaysia, and I'm sorry I butchered roti canai".

"Guys, I might not be able to say roti canai properly but I can open a durian with my bare hands and I think that's pretty Malaysian, Jamie boleh."

@igumdropI am sorry 🥲 roti kanai incident♬ original sound - jaime

Population projections that suggested that Singapore might achieve a population of 6.9 million by 2030 now seem unlikely, said PM Lawrence Wong on Jun. 8 at the Singapore Press Club's Eminent Speaker Series.

PM Wong said that his government's goal was to make the country a friendly and conducive place for families, not just increasing its population.

He spoke about the challenges faced by countries in raising or maintaining their populations, calling it a global phenomenon that affected developed and developing nations alike, for which there was no clear solution.

Question parameters

The questioner asked whether, given Singapore's worrying 0.87 per cent TFR, there would be an updated population white paper with new population planning parameters, or whether Singapore was looking at a more stable population figure as the country neared its initial 6.9 million projected population.

The questioner was referencing an unofficial population planning figure mentioned by architect Liu Thai Ker of about 10 million, as well as the 2013 Population White Paper that projected a total population of between 6.5 million and 6.9 million residents by 2030.

They also asked that if such an updated population planning parameter were to be set, it would present an opportunity to re-imagine Singapore as a country with more protected green and blue spaces for conservation, in order to do more to push forward the vision of a city in nature.

Low TFR challenges

PM Wong initially quipped, "How do we get to 10 million when the TFR is so low?".

Regarding the challenge of population and fertility, he said that Singapore should have some humility, noting the global nature of the challenge.

Previously, it was believed that population decline would only affect affluent societies, but PM Wong observed that even developing countries were currently facing declining birth rates below replacement levels.

He called it a "global phenomenon" for which no one really knew the reason why, nor did anyone have a solution.

Several countries had used a lot of resources to try to stop the decline and to encourage marriage and parenthood, but without enduring success.

Not giving up

But he said that his government had not given up, and that the task force led by Minister in the Prime Minister's Office Indranee Rajah continued to look for solutions.

He said that the government was thinking about the issue less as a procreation incentive or baby bonus but rather what it could do to create a more family-friendly environment in Singapore.

"It is a move away from the idea of giving incentives for marriage and procreation, but think more about what are the moves we can make to really make life better for families in Singapore."

Families, PM Wong said, are a key pillar of Singaporean society, and the government wanted Singapore to be a place that is "friendly and conducive for families to thrive and flourish," adding that the task force was thinking about specific moves and when ready, he would be happy to share them.

On immigration

In their initial question, the former journalist had referenced a suggestion that Singapore might import labour as a way to grow its population, and PM Wong addressed that as well.

PM Wong emphasised the immigrant roots of Singapore's population, saying that Singapore had traditionally been an open society that welcomes people.

He said that the Singapore government would continue to control the flow of immigration, to make sure that new arrivals shared Singaporean values, ways of life, and would be able to integrate.

But given controlled immigration flows and low fertility rates, he cast doubt as to whether Singapore's population would meet the 6.9 million projection of the 2013 White Paper, suggesting that Singapore was "a long, long way from getting there."

Instead, he stressed that immigration and population growth would likely, at best, maintain Singapore's population stability and avoid population decline.

Green and blue spaces

Given those factors, he referenced an earlier question about technology and artificial intelligence, saying that if Singapore did not have that many new immigrants and new arrivals, then Singaporeans needed to harness technology well in order to achieve their goals and become more productive.

Singapore, he said, would always make sure that it had green and blue spaces regardless of its population parameters.

PM Wong said that Singapore would always make sure that it was able to accommodate whatever its population was and make room for green and blue spaces.

It would continue to strengthen Singapore's biodiversity and make Singapore a city in nature.

A 25-year-old man was arrested for allegedly driving under the influence of alcohol and refusing to provide a breath specimen for analysis after a police pursuit in Tampines.

The incident occurred on Jun. 7 at about 2:05pm when police officers spotted a vehicle of interest while patrolling along the Pan Island Expressway (PIE) towards Bedok Reservoir Flyover.

The officers then chased and intercepted the vehicle, signalling the man to stop along Simei Road.

In a TikTok video, police vehicles were seen having intercepted a black van at a bus stop.

Three police officers arrested the driver, who wore what appeared to be a brown shirt and black shorts, while another police officer directed traffic.

Four other police vehicles later arrived at the scene.

The police said the van driver was suspected of being under the influence of alcohol and had refused to provide a breath specimen for analysis.

No injuries were reported in the incident.

Police investigations are ongoing.

A former teacher and principal who dedicated nearly 40 years to education has passed away at the age of 102.

A student she had known for 78 years came to pay her last respects.

Zheng Lin Baoluan passed away peacefully on Jun. 7 at her daughter's home, according to Shin Min. She had three children.

A life shaped by war and education

Her youngest daughter, Zheng Xiuhui, 60, a writer, told Shin Min that her mother had attended Fairfield Methodist Girls' School as a student and lived through the Second World War.

Despite living through the war, the elder Zheng never let it interrupt her studies. Her daughter recalled that her mother once sat for an exam the day after an air raid. After graduating around 1945, she returned to teach at her alma mater, Fairfield Methodist Girls' School, and later won a scholarship to study in the UK.

The elder Zheng later left the school in the 1960s to join the Ministry of Education as a School Inspector, a role she held until her retirement in 1984.

Care

Among those at the wake was Lin Meinan, 86, a former Fairfield Methodist student who first met the elder Zheng at the age of eight and had remained close with her for more than 70 years.

Lin recalled how the elder Zheng had gone out of her way to help her prepare for exams, even though she was not her form teacher at the time.

She said:

"To help me do well in exams, she would often invite me to her home during exam periods to help me revise, even though she was not my form teacher at the time."

Lin described her as a strict principal, but one who genuinely cared for her students more than anyone she had ever known, per Shin Min.

In 2019, Jeff Knapp stepped onto a cruise ship and decided he would much rather be at sea than on land.

By 2024, he met his wife, Debb, who had also given up life on land to live on a cruise full-time.

Together, the couple "chose a life of total freedom", selling all their possessions including their houses and cars to live out of 12 suitcases at sea.

"We have lived on ships full-time for over two years and plan to stay on the sea forever," the pair stated on their website.

The nausea never came

In a piece on The Guardian, Jeff wrote that until he turned 47, he had thought cruises were "stupid".

He had suffered from nausea on previous ferry trips.

However, in 2019, a friend gave Jeff a Caribbean cruise ticket for just a few hundred dollars as he could not make the trip himself.

Despite his history of nausea, Jeff took his friend up on the offer and stocked up on travel sickness remedies for the trip.

To his surprise, the sea sickness never came.

He was so relaxed that he even missed the "sail away" party that passengers usually gather for to celebrate the start of the voyage.

Jeff found his love for cruise life then. He wrote in The Guardian:

"Despite being in open water, I wasn’t feeling sick: I smiled in relief. That was the moment I fell in love with cruise life. It wasn’t just the calming effect of being surrounded by water.

I have severe OCD and it helps to do the same things every day. A cruise is perfect for this; I was able to eat the same meals at the same table with the same waiting staff, and every activity was scheduled and predictable."

By 2024, he had been on 20 cruises.

A relationship blossoms

Jeff eventually found romance on a 2024 Caribbean cruise when he found himself sitting next to Debb.

The pair had many things in common — both were 52 and divorced, and between the two, had six children and five grandchildren.

More importantly, they both loved cruising.

By the time they met, Debb had been on more than 150 cruises and had already sold everything "except what she could fit into three cases" to live full-time on cruise ships.

"She loved the freedom, and the chance to explore the world," Jeff wrote.

When he returned to New Jersey, U.S., he promptly sold his house and most of his belongings, and bought a diamond ring.

Got married on a boat

With a proposal on the horizon, Jeff booked himself on the same 50 cruises Debb had planned.

The couple found that with their savings, as well as loyalty discounts and the rising cost of living, their life at sea was cheaper than life on land.

Their families did not think their unconventional lifestyles were strange.

When it came time to pop the question, Jeff proposed to Debb on the dance floor of a cruise ship.

Months later, they had their legal ceremony on a beach in Miami, and a formal wedding on a cruise ship, officiated by the captain of the ship.

Life onboard a cruise ship

Addressing some frequently asked questions, he said that they have not put on weight due to eating less processed food and walking a lot on the ships.

Despite sharing a tiny 23 sqm cabin, Jeff stated that they have learnt to handle arguments well.

He added:

"Contagious illnesses, such as the hantavirus, don’t worry us at all. We stay well informed and are aware that these stories are often sensationalised — from what we understand, it could have just as easily spread in any other congested environment on land."

"At 54, I’m living my dream. Soon we’ll be heading to Europe, Mexico and Bermuda, and I can’t wait. I hope our life on the water goes on for ever," Jeff wrote.

According to their website, the couple confirmed that they are booked on cruise ships until April 2028.

Grab Singapore has launched a new initiative aimed at helping smaller food and beverage (F&B) merchants in Singapore attract more customers, improve their digital capabilities, and grow both online and offline.

The initiative, called Grab Full House Mission, was launched on Jun. 9 at Tanjong Pagar Community Club.

It is being rolled out in partnership with Enterprise Singapore (EnterpriseSG), and will include consumer promotions, merchant outreach, training programmes, industry insights and onboarding support for new merchants.

Helping merchants get discovered

The initiative comes as smaller F&B operators continue to face pressure across dine-in and delivery channels, amid rising operating costs and more competitive consumer spending, according to Grab, .

Grab said consumer behaviour has also shifted, with more users turning to delivery platforms not only to order food, but also to discover where to dine.

Citing its consumer insights, Grab said 84 per cent of surveyed users had used the Grab app to discover new restaurants or stores, while 61 per cent said they often browse without a specific merchant in mind.

Alejandro Osorio, Managing Director of Grab Singapore, said at the launch that many people now open an app before deciding what to eat, adding that this gives smaller merchants an opportunity to be discovered at the “moment” when customers are still making up their minds.

He added:

“That's why we believe that supporting merchants today requires more than simply helping them to generate orders. It means helping them to build the visibility, the skills, and the resilience to grow sustainably over the long term."

Workshops, roundtables and onboarding support

Grab Full House Mission also focuses on helping merchants build capabilities and strengthen business resilience.

These include workshops and masterclasses run by GrabAcademy in partnership with EnterpriseSG and SkillsFuture Singapore, with four sessions to be held annually over the next three years for merchants nationwide.

The sessions will cover topics such as business productivity, menu and promotional strategies, talent management, and the use of digital and artificial intelligence tools.

Grab will also conduct monthly on-the-ground sessions across Singapore neighbourhoods to provide operational and digital support to merchants, as well as organising "roundtables" where F&B owners and operators can discuss industry challenges and exchange practical insights.

Grab and EnterpriseSG will publish free bi-annual industry insight reports as well, which aim to translate Grab’s data into practical guidance for F&B businesses.

Lastly, a new onboarding initiative will help new F&B operators get started with Grab — the company will fully sponsor the S$388 onboarding package for up to 70 merchants through December 2026.

Speaking at the launch, Senior Minister of State for Culture, Community and Youth and Trade and Industry Low Yen Ling highlighted how Singapore’s F&B sector plays an important role not only in the economy, but also in everyday life and Singapore’s identity.

“When the small kitchens in the neighbourhood are kept busy, the neighbourhood becomes even more vibrant. The partnership announced today really reflects EnterpriseSG and the government's continued commitment to the F&B sector.”

Sherman Khoo, 37, Regional Director of Operations and Business Development at Two Men Bagel House in Singapore, however said that while the initiative appears to largely target demand generation, which is something “every food business” needs, he noted that smaller businesses still face supply-side and delivery-related pressures.

Tanjong Pagar Dine Out discounts of up to 15 per cent

A part of the initiative also includes Dine Out precinct campaigns to increase footfall and visibility for participating independent F&B outlets in selected areas.

The first precinct campaign is being held in Tanjong Pagar from May 26 to Jul. 25.

Consumers are able to find participating restaurants through the Dine Out tile on the Grab app and redeem discounts of up to 15 per cent on their bill when dining in.

Grab said additional precinct campaigns are planned later this year in Holland Village and Jalan Besar.

Grab is starting with Tanjong Pagar as it wants to refine its “playbook”, according to Osorio, and learn from initial engagements with merchants before applying the model to other areas.

Beyond precinct campaigns, Grab will also run nationwide GrabFood delivery deals for smaller and independent merchants, with Grab-funded promotions of up to 15 per cent off menu-wide via the Food tile on the app.

These nationwide delivery deals are capped at S$6, subject to minimum order requirements, and valid until Dec. 31, 2026.