Congratulatory Note by Mr Lee Yi Shyan, Senior Minister of State for Trade and Industry and National Development at Jumbo Group 25th Anniversary Gala Dinner, 30 January 2013, 8.16pm
Mr Ang Kiam Meng, CEO of Jumbo Group,
Ladies and Gentlemen
1. Good evening. I would like to extend my warmest congratulations to the Jumbo Group of Restaurants on your 25th anniversary.
2. The F&B sector has grown. Today, it has 6,453 establishments and employs 101,581 workers. Our cuisine mix and service offerings are more varied and differentiated than ever.
3. Jumbo is a leading F&B player in Singapore, employing more than 800 workers. Its growth story mirrors the vibrancy of the industry. From a one-concept seafood restaurant, it has grown to comprise six different dining concepts today. It has also ventured abroad, setting up joint venture outlets in Tokyo, Osaka and soon, Shanghai.
4. The group has been very proactive in productivity improvement and service innovation. A sophisticated IT system links its central kitchen to its various outlets and head office. Jumbo has also invested in and adopted the 5S program[1], a well known housekeeping system that helps companies improve operational efficiency and maximise workspace usage.
5. By adopting technology, Jumbo has been able to streamline its operations and improve productivity. For example, Jumbo has instituted a queue management kiosk at selected outlets. Previously, customers have to wait as long as 10 minutes before a hostess issues them a queue number. With the self service kiosk, customers can now receive their queue numbers instantaneously.
6. Another innovation which has led to cost savings and higher customer satisfaction is the online reservation system, currently being used in this restaurant and JPOT. This system enables customers to make or change reservations via the internet or smart phones any time of the day, and receive automatic SMS confirmations a day before their bookings.
7. Even the recently concluded Dine & Win Lucky Draw made use of technology. Instead of having to fill in numerous forms, eligible participants just had to enter their contact information once into an iPad to qualify, thus reducing paper wastage and workload on service staff.
8. I commend the leadership and staff of Jumbo Group for your pursuit of excellence. On this happy and auspicious occasion, I would like to wish you the very best for your future endeavours.
[1] 5S is a renowned housekeeping system that helps companies improve operational efficiency and space utilisation. 5S refers to Sort, Systemise, Shine, Standardise, and Self-discipline