Funny How Life Circles Back — A Conversation with McDonald’s Singapore MD and RAS President

From the Desk of Jonathan Lim, Founder & CEO of Oddle

Every now and then, something happens that reminds you how far you’ve come—and how small the world really is.

A few weeks ago, I received a message that made me pause.

It was from Benjamin Boh, Managing Director of McDonald’s Singapore and the newly elected President of the Restaurant Association of Singapore (RAS).

He said he’d been quietly following Tabletalk for some time.

That it made him think. That he appreciated the clarity, the honesty, and the way we approach restaurant growth from first principles.

This is someone who leads one of the most well-oiled restaurant operations in the world.

Someone whose team feeds thousands of people every hour.

And yet—he reached out, not to talk about scale, but to talk about fundamentals.

Naturally, I was curious. So we met.

A Personal Flashback

As we talked, something clicked in my memory.

Years ago—before Oddle was even an idea—I ran a salad-and-grill café called The Lawn, nestled in Biopolis.

We had a loyal lunch crowd—scientists, researchers, and office folks looking for something fresh and filling.

But our real secret weapon? Corporate catering. Meetings, trainings, office parties—we packed a lot of lunchboxes.

Back then, the only restaurants that could do direct delivery well were the big boys: McDonald’s, KFC, Pizza Hut.

I remember looking at McDelivery and thinking, Why isn’t there a system like this for independents?

So I went looking.

The quotes I got back? $300,000 for a delivery ordering system.

I nearly laughed out loud. For a small business like mine, that was impossible.

So I rolled up my sleeves and built it myself.

That’s how Oddle started.

Funny twist? Ben’s previous office—McDonald’s Asia Pacific HQ—used to be at Metropolis, just across the street from where The Lawn is.

He told me he used to eat there quite regularly.

We probably crossed paths a dozen times—him grabbing lunch, me running the café.

And here we were, years later, exchanging ideas on how to run better, more resilient restaurants.

The Discipline Behind McDonald’s Success

One of the most striking parts of our conversation was just how disciplined McDonald’s is—not just in branding or menu design, but in operational execution.

They don’t think in days. They think in dayparts.

Each part of the day is treated like a business line:

What’s brilliant isn’t the menu. It’s the structure behind it.

Same kitchen. Same crew. Same equipment.

But the positioning, demand, and promos are tuned for each segment.

And the goal? Not every shift has to be amazing. But every shift must be profitable.

That kind of discipline doesn’t happen by chance. It’s the result of building a system that matches operations to demand—down to the hour.

The Shared Concern: Restaurant Churn is Too High

What surprised me most wasn’t that Ben appreciated Tabletalk.

It was how aligned we were on one major issue: F&B churn problem.

In a recent Business Times interview, he said:

“The churn rate in Singapore’s F&B scene—both businesses and manpower—is unsustainable. We need longer-term solutions. We need to retain customers, manage cost, and scale with discipline. That’s how brands like Heytea and Mixue do it in China.”

He wasn’t exaggerating.

At Oddle, we see the same story across thousands of merchants:

• High first-time traffic, low repeat rate.
• Visibility campaigns with no follow-up.
• No customer database to speak of.
• No tracking of who comes back, when, and why.
• And no system for retention beyond vague "loyalty points."

It’s not a product problem. It’s a system problem.

Restaurants aren’t failing because they lack passion.

They’re failing because they’re trying to grow on instinct—without infrastructure.

What It Really Takes to Build a Profitable Restaurant

Ben and I spent time digging into what we both believe are the non-negotiables.

Here’s the framework we both align on:

1. Drive Visibility — But Do It Intelligently

It’s not just about going viral or joining events. It’s about consistent, strategic reach. Being discoverable on Google. Being top of mind in the neighborhood. Showing up when it counts.

2. Capture Every Customer

If you’re only capturing the bill-payer’s info, you’re flying blind. Every diner counts. Use QR check-ins. NFC taps. Online orders. Group check-ins. Anything to build a database of actual diners.

3. Create Systems That Drive Return Visits

Print a return voucher on the receipt.

Send a survey 3 hours after checkout.

Ask for a review if the feedback is good.

Remind customers to redeem unclaimed vouchers.

Make your restaurant unforgettable—not just by the magic of great service, but by the power of automation.

4. Understand Profitability by Daypart

A restaurant that only makes money on weekends isn’t sustainable. Track your traffic and revenue hourly. Know your soft spots. Create offers that lift underperforming shifts.

5. Maximize Fixed Costs

Rent and manpower are fixed. That means every extra dollar you earn makes your operation more profitable. When revenue goes up, your fixed cost as a % of sales goes down.

6. Run on Systems, Not Hope

Gut feel might help you open a restaurant.

But systems are what help you scale one.

Marketing, ops, menu design, customer engagement—all of it can (and should) be designed to run predictably.

Why This Conversation Meant So Much

When I started Oddle, I was just trying to solve a problem for myself.

I wasn’t thinking about scaling across countries. I just wanted to help my café compete with McDelivery.

And yet, years later—here I was, sitting with the former regional head of McDonald’s Asia Pacific, now MD of Singapore, talking about the future of F&B, nodding in agreement about retention systems and profit-per-hour.

It made me realize something important:

No matter how big you get, the fundamentals don’t change.

Restaurants succeed when they:

• Know their numbers.
• Know their customers.
• Know how to get people to come back.

It doesn’t matter if you have 1 outlet or 1,000.

Final Thought

If you're a restaurant owner, here's what I'd say:

✅ You don’t need to be a big brand like McDonald’s to operate like one.

In fact, being small is your advantage.

You don’t have legacy tech.

You don’t have committees to clear.

You don’t have red tape.

You’re nimble. Fast. Free to experiment.

✅ You don’t need $300,000 to build a system—but you do need a system.

✅ You don’t need to chase volume before you fix retention.

✅ And you don’t need to do it alone.

Every hour can be profitable.

Every customer can be remembered.

Every visit can lead to another—if you design for it.

So if you’re serious about growing your restaurant, don’t just look for traffic.

Build for loyalty. Build for margins. Build for resilience.

If McDonald’s is doing it, there’s no reason you can’t too.

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