Lift your glasses to free-flow booze

More restaurants are offering all-you-can-drink deals in a bid to entice diners

- Tan Hsueh Yun Senior Correspondent

Korean steak house Guuum offers free-flow drinks with The Weekend Steak Brunch. Ce La Vi bundles a three-course brunch with free-flow drinks. Le Pristine Spritz is one of the cocktail options in the restaurant's free-flow alcohol programme.

(PHOTO: GU'UM PHOTO: CE LA VI PHOTO: CHANTAL ARNTS)

Going a la carte, weekend buffets, soup to nuts meal deals. And now, all-you-can-drink booze, for a limited time period. Restaurants have been pulling out all the stops in a bid to get diners to, well, dine.

Cost-of-living concerns and the dying down of post-pandemic revenge dining have meant people are dining out less.

According to international market research firm YouGov's recent Singapore Dining Out Report 2025, one in three Singaporeans say they are dining out less often than they did a year ago. Some 65 per cent of those who are eating out less cite rising restaurant prices as a reason.

The result of all this has meant restaurant closures have hogged the headlines in 2024 and 2025. This year, high-profile exits include the five Prive cafes; one-Michelin-starred Alma by Juan Amador and Euphoria, with Esora expected to close by year-end; as well as heritage establishments such as Ka-Soh.

The YouGov report shows that four in 10 Singaporeans still dine out at least once a week, with many choosing cheaper restaurants, using discounts or coupons, or ordering fewer items, among other money-saving strategies.

The current flood of free-flow alcohol addresses some of these new diner behaviours.

Such deals are not new - they have always been a feature at weekend brunches and hotel restaurants. Now, though, small, independent restaurants are getting in on the act, with even upscale ones offering all-you-can-drink deals.

Prices range mostly from $30 to $60 a person, with some restaurants offering tiered options.