Pasta is perhaps simple to search out in Singapore, however it’s often a part of a fancier eating expertise, not one thing you’d seize on a fast lunch break.
However TWSYT flips that script—consider it because the quick meals model of pasta.
The homegrown chain affords pastas which are inexpensive, customisable, and better of all, served quick, making it a handy choice for busy Singaporeans who crave a hearty meal with no hefty invoice.
Behind the enterprise are three Singaporeans, Lester Goh, Koh Wei Chong, and Han Zhongchou (Zhong), who’ve, to this point, grown the enterprise to 13 shops throughout Singapore.
Disrupting the scene
Lester, Wei Chong and Zhong first obtained acquainted with one another whereas working at SATS’ company enterprise constructing arm.
“SATS employed us to broaden [the company through new ventures], and the three of us got here up with the concept that we should always transfer into F&B,” stated Lester.
“We realised that there was a niche available in the market—again then, should you wished to get pasta, you’d must go to a restaurant and that was going to [cost] over S$20 or S$30.”
Recognizing a possibility to disrupt the scene, the trio launched TWYST below SATS’ company enterprise constructing arm, opening their very first outlet at Raffles Place MRT station in December 2021.
Proper from the outset, the trio aimed to make TWYST’s value level the model’s key differentiator available in the market.
“So there was a variety of considering behind the launch—may we hit the economies of scale, as a result of our pastas are actually inexpensive,” stated Lester.
To ship on velocity, the workforce additionally developed “clear and powerful SOPs,” making certain every pasta may very well be cooked in simply 45 seconds with the minimal variety of steps attainable, even with over 210 customisation choices obtainable.
“We designed it to be foolproof, so even anybody with out prior expertise may are available in and simply do a easy coaching,” stated Wei Chong. Errors do, in fact, occur often, however they’re few and much between.
Whereas quick meals usually carries the stigma of being frozen or reheated, TWYST’s pastas are cooked contemporary. A number of of its shops, together with the one at Raffles Place, characteristic present kitchens, permitting clients to see their meals being cooked proper on the spot.
A bumpy street
With these methods in place, TWYST’s idea appeared to resonate with clients. Its Raffles Place MRT outlet broke even in a few yr and a half, in response to Zhong.
“We noticed indicators that it was doing fairly effectively, which gave us the boldness to broaden our operations,” he stated.
Regardless of TWYST’s early success, the trio’s journey wasn’t fully clean, particularly because the enterprise launched in the course of the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic.
They opened three shops throughout that interval, however foot visitors was initially sluggish. As soon as the group returned, although, the trio struggled to maintain up with the inflow of orders.
Hiring was one other main impediment. “It was very exhausting to rent throughout COVID-19,” stated Lester. “For our first three shops, we had been at all times in retailer, from morning to nighttime.”
Regardless of these challenges, the workforce persevered, actively engaged on options to beat every hurdle.
Chief amongst their methods was refining TWYST’s SOPs even additional. The trio needed to rethink every little thing, even all the way down to “the motion of how every pasta was served.”
They likened their kitchen workflow to a Toyota manufacturing line—a linear, streamlined system designed to maximise effectivity and minimise delays.
As for hiring, the problem progressively eased as soon as the pandemic subsided, making it simpler to construct a extra steady workforce. Lester claimed that the enterprise has additionally managed to retain a lot of the workers who’ve been with them because the model’s early days.
Exploring alternatives past native shores
After COVID-19 restrictions eased, TWYST started increasing quickly, largely because of the robust SOPs that made their operations simply scalable.
However a part of that development additionally got here by means of a franchising mannequin.
We wished to broaden shortly and money—how a lot capital we had—was additionally an enormous concern. So we determined to additionally faucet on franchising for 2 issues: one for the manpower, and two for the CAPEX.
Han Zhongchou, co-founder of TWYST
At present, of the 13 shops the model operates throughout the city-state, 4 are franchise-run—all of which have achieved appreciable success, serving greater than 2,000 pastas a day on an total foundation.
Shifting ahead, growth inside Singapore stays firmly on the playing cards for the TWYST workforce. Nevertheless, they’re additionally conscious of the restrictions of the native market.
“The unlucky factor concerning the Singapore market, is that the scale of [it] is small,” stated Lester.
To discover alternatives past native shores, the workforce beforehand examined the waters in Japan with a one-day pop-up retailer.
Whereas the initiative additionally tied in with their analysis into robotics and automation—none of which has been carried out but—it served as a worthwhile method to gauge curiosity in an abroad market.
However why Japan?
“What we understood of the Japanese market was that they devour essentially the most quantity of pasta, when it comes to Asia, and we thought that it was a market we should always take into consideration,” defined Lester.
Nonetheless, bringing TWYST overseas comes with its personal set of challenges.
“SOPs can deliver over recipes, and you may fine-tune them, however the lay of the land is totally different,” he stated. From manpower and native partnerships to adapting flavours and understanding cultural context—localisation is vital.
It’s a problem they’re effectively conscious of, and one they intention to sort out head-on as they transfer into their subsequent stage of development.
- Discover out extra about TWYST right here.
- Learn different articles we’ve written on Singaporean startups right here.
Featured Picture Credit score: TWYST/ Rachel Tan by way of Google Maps
