How to open a restaurant in Singapore.

Concept is defined beyond the food: service style, price point, target customer and occasion are all locked.

Every decision that follows (site, kitchen, hires, pricing) inherits the vagueness.

A realistic business plan exists, with P&L projections covering at least 12 months.

Without it, you discover your numbers in the bank statement instead of on paper.

Break-even revenue is calculated and stress-tested against a slow first 3 months.

Most shops open slower than the plan. A plan that only works at full speed is not a plan.

Capital covers not just the setup but 6 months of operating runway after opening.

Shops rarely die from one bad month. They die from opening with nothing left in the float.

Lease terms have been reviewed by a lawyer before signing, not after.

Once signed, every bad clause is your clause.

The permitted use clause covers your concept specifically, not just “F&B”.

The wrong use class means change-of-use approval, or a unit you cannot legally run.

Reinstatement obligations are understood and costed.

Returning the unit to original condition gets priced at the end, when your leverage and your cash are lowest.

Handover condition has been inspected and documented before works begin.

Damage nobody documented becomes damage you pay to reinstate.

From the floor

“One early exit cost six figures. The termination clause required the remaining lease paid in full, at S$8,000-plus a month with well over a year left on the term. Read the exit clause as if you will use it.”

The SFA food shop licence timeline is factored into the opening schedule.

The licence sets your opening date. Rent does not wait for it.

The premises layout submitted to SFA matches the actual built layout.

A mismatch at inspection means rework and resubmission, with the rent still running.

NEA requirements for the grease trap, exhaust and waste are confirmed with the contractor before works start.

Retrofitting exhaust or piping after the build costs multiples of doing it in the right order.

Liquor licence requirements are confirmed if alcohol is on the menu.

Opening without it means opening without some of your best margins.

From the floor

“Approval speed is mostly response speed. Experienced operators submit once, act on the reply, resubmit, done. See the morning email at 2pm and answer at 5pm, and the reply comes tomorrow. Every slow response is another day of rent.”

The kitchen layout has been reviewed against your actual menu and service volume, not just aesthetics.

A kitchen that cannot do your menu at your volume is a renovation waiting to happen.

The equipment list is based on menu requirements, not a contractor's generic list.

You pay for machines that never get switched on, then queue at the one you are missing.

Maintenance and warranty terms are confirmed before equipment is paid for.

The first breakdown is when you find out what the warranty covers. Too late to negotiate.

Cold chain storage capacity matches projected stock levels.

Undersized chillers mean daily ordering and stock lost to spoilage.

From the floor

“The grease trap is usually already in the unit. Build the kitchen around where it sits and the piping stays short. Fight its location and you pay for every extra metre.”

Every dish has been costed, with a confirmed food cost percentage.

Uncosted dishes get priced on feel. Some of them quietly sell at a loss.

Menu pricing accounts for GST, service charge and platform commissions where they apply.

A dish that works at menu price can lose money the moment it sells through a delivery platform.

Supplier agreements are in place before opening, not chased during opening week.

Chase suppliers in opening week and you pay list price for whatever turns up.

A contingency supplier exists for every critical ingredient.

One supplier's bad week takes your signature item off the menu.

Headcount is based on actual service requirements, not a rough guess.

Guessed headcount shows up as payroll bloat or a burnt-out team. Both cost you.

MOM work pass requirements are confirmed if hiring foreign staff.

A roster built on passes you cannot get is not a roster.

A training plan exists and has been run before opening day, not on it.

Skip it and your soft opening becomes staff training in front of paying guests.

Payroll and CPF are set up before the first pay cycle.

Late CPF draws penalties. A late first payday costs the team's trust.

The POS is selected, installed and staff-trained before the soft opening.

Learning the till during service turns every order into a queue.

SOPs exist for at least: opening, closing, service sequence and waste management.

Without them, your standard is whoever happens to be on shift.

The inventory tracking method is decided and in place from day one.

Variance you never measured is money you never knew you lost.

Cash handling and payment reconciliation are documented.

Discrepancies with no paper trail. The suspicion does more damage than the money.

The soft opening is planned with a controlled guest list, not a full public launch.

A soft launch lets the mistakes happen in private.

A 30-day post-opening review is scheduled before opening day.

If it is not in the calendar now, month one's lessons never get collected.

Someone is responsible for capturing feedback during the soft opening period.

Everyone hears the comments. Nobody writes them down.

An exit or pivot plan exists if the concept does not stabilise within 90 days.

Without a line drawn now, the decision gets made by the money running out.