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Blueprint for Success: A Guide to Launching Your F&B Business
ITE College West
Food Services
Short Courses
Others
Learn how to successfully launch your food and beverage (F&B) business! This short course is designed for aspiring entrepreneurs and startup operators, providing essential knowledge to avoid costly pitfalls and financial losses.
Covering key areas such as compliance and regulations, choosing the right business concept, capital and operational planning, branding, working with contractors, hiring, and resource management, this course equips participants with the tools needed for a successful venture in the F&B industry.
Course duration: 10 hours
What you'll learn
Compliance & Regulations
Identify and navigate necessary business licenses, permits, and regulatory requirements in Singapore (e.g., SFA, NEA, Fire Safety, and URA).
Understand food safety management systems (FSMS), hygiene grading, and workplace safety compliance.
Anticipate common compliance pitfalls that cause costly delays and learn how to avoid them.
Choosing the Right Concept
Evaluate market trends, target demographics, and competitor positioning to choose the right format: kiosk, café, quick-service restaurant, or full-service dining.
Analyse location suitability, rental terms, and foot traffic to determine the most profitable operational model.
Learn how to future-proof your concept to adapt to changing consumer behaviour.
Capital Expenditure (CapEx) & Operational Expenditure (OpEx) Planning
Create a realistic startup budget covering construction, equipment, licenses, and pre-opening costs (CapEx).
Project ongoing expenses such as staffing, utilities, raw materials, and marketing (OpEx).
Build a cash flow buffer to handle seasonal sales fluctuations and unexpected costs.
Understand ROI timelines for different F&B formats and pricing strategies.
Branding Direction
Define your brand’s positioning, voice, and customer promise.
Develop menu engineering strategies that reflect your brand identity while maximising profit margins.
Learn how to align branding across interior design, packaging, uniforms, and online presence.
Create a launch and marketing strategy to build brand awareness before opening day.
Construction & Working with the Right Contractors
Understand the step-by-step process of F&B construction, from design approval to handover.
Learn how to brief designers, contractors, and suppliers to ensure design aligns with operational needs.
Set realistic timelines and contingency plans to avoid delays.
Vet and negotiate with contractors to ensure quality, reliability, and cost control.
Hiring Process
Create detailed job descriptions that attract the right talent.
Implement a structured interview process to assess skills, cultural fit, and reliability.
Learn onboarding practices that improve staff retention and morale.
Understand the key roles for different F&B formats and when to scale your team.
Managing Resources
Implement operational SOPs to ensure consistency in service and quality.
Manage inventory to reduce waste and control food cost percentages.
Train supervisors and managers to handle scheduling, supplier negotiations, and conflict resolution.
Monitor and adjust operational KPIs to keep the business on track for profitability.
Entry requirements
Nil
Fees
Fee for this course can be paid using SkillsFuture Credits.
STEP* will be used to administer all ITE Continuing Education & Training (CET) courses. For first-time users of STEP, please register and sign in here.
*STEP – Skills Training & Enhancement Portal, the new one-stop learning portal to manage all courses and learning needs across the 5 polytechnics and ITE.
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