Burger & Lobster exits S'pore; The Social Outcast to shut in Katong

This week, two food and beverage (F&B) establishments announced their upcoming closures on Instagram.

In a March 4 post, famed London chain Burger & Lobster said its original and final outlet at Jewel Changi Airport will shut on March 10. This marks the brand's exit from Singapore, it added, in response to netizens' questions on the post.

The restaurant chain, best known for its fresh Atlantic lobsters and hefty burgers, opened here in May 2019 to much fanfare. Its second outlet at Raffles Hotel Singapore, which opened in September the same year, shut in late 2024. That space was taken over by Spanish restaurant Binomio, which opened in December 2024.

For its "final feast", Burger & Lobster (Jewel) is offering one-for-one lobster rolls for dine-in only on a first-come, first-served basis. This will be limited to 200 sets a day, sides not included.

It is not the only brand to bow out of Jewel Changi Airport in recent months, and adds to the recent spate of March and April closures at the National Gallery Singapore.

Following the closure of Singaporean restaurateur Violet Oon's eponymous restaurant at Jewel Changi Airport on Feb 3, halal-certified restaurant Elfuego by Collin's shut on Feb 28. Come early April, modern Japanese restaurant-bar Tanuki Raw is slated to leave the mall as well.

In Katong, popular Muslim-owned omakase restaurant The Social Outcast - known for its "wood-fire experiential dining" - will run its final service on March 30.

In a two-minute video on its Instagram page on March 6, chef-owner Aminurrashid Hasnordin - better known as Mint - and his co-founder Noelle Chua announced the planned closure.

For its last hurrah, they will celebrate with barbecue block parties at the restaurant on March 29 and 30.

Over the past five years, the brand - which started as a gourmet burger stall at a Tampines coffee shop in 2019 - had moved to different locations and evolved to its current 12-seat concept, all in Mr Aminurrashid's quest to elevate the halal food scene.

Yet, the writing was on the wall even before The Social Outcast's current iteration opened.

In April 2023, Ms Chua, 34, said in a Straits Times interview that once they reached the "top tier" of dining, they would be content to shut the business because "we don't know where to go from there".

That time has come and Mr Aminurrashid, 45, tells ST he is counting down to the final days so that he can "sleep for a while", read books and grieve his father who died in 2020.

While he notes that rent and inflation are contributing factors to the "horribly bad" F&B scene, the lack of manpower has been the biggest problem for him.

He says: "I cannot find talent. Even if I do, I can't hang on, I'll lose them to the big boys. I cannot hire foreigners because I don't have the quota.

"If I have three or four talented chefs and a general manager, I would consider staying because I will have space to do other things. I can then grow the business."

He adds that it has been five years since he looked at his mobile phone in the morning with a smile. "Now in the morning, the messages are 'Boss, MC', 'Boss, (kitchen) blackout'. Every day, we are fighting fire."

The restaurant closure does not spell the end of The Social Outcast brand.

During his break, he is looking to do pop-up events and private dining. He is also planning a healthy confinement food project, featuring recipes from various countries to cater to modern mothers. He is exploring opportunities to open overseas too.

While he was reluctant to let go of his first outlet in Tampines, Mr Aminurrashid says they have learnt to embrace change. He adds: "It's okay to let go, but you live to fight another day. A business has to have an expiry date. If it doesn't, it will expire you."