$6,000 for reunion dinner? Going, going...
Top restaurants see strong demand, with some fully booked
By Crystal Chan
January 12, 2009
THE Year of the Ox is certainly heralding a bull run for some top restaurants here.
FESTIVE FEAST: Hua Ting offers dried and fresh abalone and the obligatory yu sheng on its Chinese New Year menu.
While many may baulk at spending more than $6,000 to host a Chinese New Year reunion dinner for just 10 people, restaurants which are offering such exquisite fare are enjoying a roaring business despite the current downturn.
Bookings are so good that some restaurants even have to squeeze in two dining sessions on Chinese New Year's Eve on 25Jan.
Orchard Hotel's marketing communications director, Ms Amy Ang, said its Chinese restaurant, Hua Ting, has been fully booked since October.
With the 10 per cent service charge and GST, the bill comes up to about $6,889.
Hua Ting's cheapest package for two is $118 a person and that is also fully booked.
Ms Ang said: 'We have regular customers who made reservations during their last reunion for this year's reunion dinner. This year's reservations were made especially early compared with the previous years and there's a long waiting list.'
She said the hotel did not increase prices in view of the recession.
The $5,888++ menu includes braised Australian dried abalone with Mexican sea cucumber and double-boiled superior bird's nest.
So far, two tables at Hua Ting have been booked for the $5,888++ package.
Ms Ang said: 'There are enquiries and interest (in the $5,888++ menu). Usually, customers will confirm their preferred reunion menu nearer to the date.'
Accountant Susan Ho, whose husband has reserved a $788++ package for 10 persons at Hua Ting, said it is money well spent.
She said: 'It's pricey, but we're eating good food, so we can't complain. Besides, it's only for Chinese New Year and it's worth spending some money to celebrate the occasion.'
Waiting list
The Fullerton Hotel's Jade restaurant, which is charging $168++ per head for 10 persons, is also fully booked and there is a waiting list.
A spokesman for Fullerton said: 'Reservations for the Chinese New Year period started pouring in from as early as November. The restaurant is also fully booked on 2and 9Feb (15th day of the Chinese New Year).'
It is a similar story at Four Seasons Hotel's Jiang Nan Chun Restaurant, which is also charging $168++ per head for 10 persons.
Its first sitting, from 6pm to 8.30pm, is fully booked and there are only a few tables left for the second sitting.
Peony Jade and Quayside Seafood have introduced takeaway meals for customers who could not get tables.
Mr Robert Han, the restaurants' group general manager, said: 'Our selling prices remain unchanged from last year in spite of much higher operating and material costs. We've always prided ourselves in offering value-for-money food at affordable prices in an elegant environment.'
Bookings at Peony Jade increased by 20 per cent from last year due to bigger group seatings of 10 and above instead of smaller seatings.
Ritz-Carlton Millenia's Summer Pavilion Restaurant and Fairmont Singapore's Szechuan Court are also fully booked.
A spokesman for Marina Mandarin said its Chinese restaurant, Peach Blossoms, is 80 per cent full for Chinese New Year's Eve, but added that reservations would pick up as the day nears.
Other big restaurant chains like Tung Lok and Crystal Jade still have room for Chinese New Year's Eve.
Ms Carolyn Tan, Tung Lok's vice-president of marketing and corporate communications, said that on average, its 20 restaurants are about 80 per cent booked.
She said Club Chinois is 50 per cent full while Shin Yeh is 70 per cent full.
Ms Tan said: 'We see a good mixture of regulars as well as new customers. As we're offering attractive dining privileges and value-for-money menus, we hope to attract more new customers to visit our restaurants.'
Ms Stella To, special assistant to Crystal Jade's managing director, would not give figures but said business is slower than the same period last year.
She said: 'Compared with last year, bookings are slower, with the expectation that people will spend less.
'With the recession, Crystal Jade will be more cost conscious this year and plan its expansions cautiously.'
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Breaking with 20-year tradition
To cope with the bleak economy, Imperial Herbal, a Chinese restaurant now in VivoCity, decided to cater to the Chinese New Year crowd this year - the first time in its 20-year history.
Its general manager, Mr Wang Jinhui, said: 'With the economy doing badly, we have no choice but to work harder. Previously, we never opened on Chinese New Year's Eve as we wanted to give our workers a break.'
The gamble has paid off as Imperial Herbal was fully booked since last November, with about 10 people on the waiting list.
Mr Wang said: 'No matter what, families are still willing to spend on reunion dinners as it's a once-a-year affair. While this means our workers won't get to eat with their families, they understand that we're facing a more challenging period.'
Source:
http://newpaper.asia1.com.sg/news/st...89483,00.html? 
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