Riverwalk Tandoor on Rangoon Road is one of the businesses that has benefitted from the initiative. Credit: Rangwaali/ Shutterstock.

The Singapore government has unveiled a policy change to allow Indian restaurants to hire foreign cooks to help meet festive demand. 

Restaurants are now allowed to hire chefs from India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka on work permits.  

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The new permit addresses the ongoing labour shortages faced by these establishments, particularly during festive periods such as Deepavali. 

The Ministry of Manpower has facilitated the process, allowing 400 Indian cuisine restaurants to utilise work permits within the initial three months following the acceptance of applications in September 2023.  

According to Channel News Asia, applications are evaluated by industry stakeholders, including renowned chefs and government agencies such as the Indian Heritage Centre. 

Indian Restaurants Association president Gurcharan Singh said: “During [the festive season], we require a lot of hands because of catering [orders], because there are also certain special items which are made, like sweetmeats, which are not on our normal menu”. 

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Riverwalk Tandoor, located along Rangoon Road, is one of the businesses that has benefitted from this initiative.  

Managing director Sharonjeet Kaur described the move as a “dream come true” amid the challenges her restaurant faced in hiring chefs, noting that anybody can claim to be a chef but to specialise in Indian dishes such as tandoor and curry is difficult.

With the ability to hire three additional cooks in the past year, Riverwalk Tandoor has significantly increased its capacity.  

The restaurant managed more than 40 catering orders per day leading up to Deepavali in early November 2024, compared with around 30 such orders previously.  

The restaurant has been exploring new dishes inspired by Western and Chinese cuisine. 

Gayatri Restaurant managing director S Mahendran said: “The move has allowed Indian restaurants to up their game. 

“Within this one year, I think we have seen tremendous changes within the Indian culinary space. I speak for my restaurant and my fellow restaurateurs who have been in the industry for quite some time.” 

While restaurant owners expressed gratitude for being able to hire more chefs through this initiative, they believe that increasing the quota for foreign workers would further help meet demand.  

Currently, the cap for such workers stands at 8% of a restaurant’s total workforce.