Singapore’s Café Scene And Where It Is Headed To

Jewel Cafe Claymore Connect

The relentless obsession with Melbourne cafes is such a worldwide phenomenon to the extent where virtually every cosmopolitan city is jumping on the bandwagon of serving Melburnian-inspired brunch, alongside aromatic Australian flat whites. From Two Hands, and Little Collins in New York City, to Lantana Cafe and Kaffeine in London, Melbourne-style cafes can be found in many cities around the World today.

Needless to say, Singapore is too unspared from this global trend. Will these cafes continue to become a part of our daily lives, or will the bulk of these establishments disappear like the Bubble Tea fad? Only time will tell.

According to National Population and Talent Division, approximately 50,000 Singaporeans live in Australia. Most of them return to Singapore after graduation and/or a few years of work, only to find themselves sorely missing Down Under’s handcrafted coffee. The demand for artisanal coffees is high, especially when Singaporeans today are increasingly well-travelled too. Spurred by a group of young ambitious entrepreneurs and expats, a cafe culture was born.

It has only been but five years since the café bug bit us. 40 Hands was one of the pioneer specialty coffee cafes that emerged in 2010 – where it has transformed the previously sleepy Tiong Bahru neighbourhood forever. Today, there are hundreds of similar specialty coffee shops catered for affluent yuppies. Judging from our Instagram feeds, consumers are clearly craving for more. Here, we look deeper into Singapore’s cafe scene and where it is headed to!

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How Much It Costs To Open A New Cafe

Boufe

How much does it cost to open a new cafe in Singapore? Owning a cafe seems to be a common dream for many people, and with new cafes sprouting out all over Singapore every other week, is opening a cafe – especially for first-timers who have no financial backing and experience in the cutthroat F&B industry – really that easy?

We’ve previously written on the topic of 10 things you should know before opening a cafe, and there are indeed many challenges that most people are unaware of when it comes to running a cafe.

We spoke to several cafe owners to get a gist on how much it costs to open a new cafe in Singapore - from rental, to interior design, labour cost, and kitchen equipment. And now, here’s what you should know to have a better idea, and to possibly help you in your decision-making and planning:

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5 Things You Never Knew About Working In A Café

Working in Cafe

So you have heard about the things you should know before opening a café. Let’s jump over to the other side of the fence and see how the world is.

With cafés opening every other day in Singapore, it is seemingly becoming a popular option for youngsters and students to work in one. Some aspire to be trained baristas, some simply love to serve. They do seem like they are always having fun – hearty laughs and chatting in between tasks.

But is it really so? There are things that happen behind the scenes, things that regular customers would not otherwise observe or realize, and they are not always the prettiest things to share.

While working in a café has its fair share of fun, let’s discover 5 Things You Never Knew About Working In A Café:

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10 Things You Should Know Before Opening a Cafe

How to open a cafe

New cafes are opening in Singapore at a faster rate than you can say “let’s go cafe-hopping”. Many people dream of opening their own cafe one day. But in Singapore’s competitive food & beverage industry, is it really that easy to start a cafe?

We had a chat with Miss Daphne Goh – owner of Assembly Coffee, one of our favourite coffee shops in Singapore – to find out more about the challenges of running a cafe. Before you jump on the bandwagon, here are 10 things you should know before opening a cafe:

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