FRIED RICE AND LAUGHS HOT OFF THE STOVE

Some F&B owners are spending up to a day a week recording funny skits for social media to convert likes into sales

- Hedy Khoo

When hawker Kenny Ngoo, 31, hit "share" on a light-hearted Instagram reel in March, he did not expect much.

"It was basically me pretending it was my first day at work," says the co-owner of Salt, which sells Western fusion dishes at Old Airport Road Food Centre. He had filmed himself from the customer's point of view, acting as though he had forgotten an order.

"It was a low-effort video. It took me 10 minutes to film and 45 minutes to edit."

The idea had come from a similar video he had seen online. To his surprise, views surged to 2.5 million — far outstripping his usual 1,000 views for food-focused clips.

"I couldn't understand why it was such a hit," adds the hawker, who joined his sister in running her stall in 2017.

"Other videos I had put in more effort, like filming my cooking process, and took two days to edit, but drew only about 1,000 views."

The unexpected viral moment stupefied him. "I didn't post for seven days because I didn't know what to do next," he says, adding that he started to feel pressure about his next video. "I started to overthink whether my upcoming content would be good enough to rival this one."

His experience reflects how hawkers and restaurateurs are navigating a new reality: serving up laughs as much as food. From Hokkien mee stall The Neighbourwok to Italian eatery Fortuna, operators are finding that humour is an ingredient that gains more traction online than polished food shots.

Quality food and service are not sufficient to draw customers in today's competitive and cut-throat food and beverage scene, says Mr Joni Anson, 39, owner of Bebek Goreng Pak Ndut, a chain of Indonesian restaurants specialising in fried duck.

"Unlike our grandfathers' time, when a reputation for great food was enough to ensure success, the game has changed," he adds.

"We need to be where our customers are, and they are spending a lot of time on social media."