Tai Er Suancai&Fish, a Chinese Sichuan brand, has posted a hiring posting for a store manager with a monthly salary of S$4,350 (about RM14,224.50) and a high salary of S$3,250 (about RM16,627.50) for dishwashers and waiters, which includes three meals a day. This has caught people’s attention and caused a buzz online.
Tai Er Suancai&Fish opened in 2015 and has 458 locations. Since 2021, it has been popular in Singapore, where it is often hard to find one. Tai Er Suancai&Fish currently has three locations in Singapore. These are at the Jewel Changi, the Jurong East JEM Mall, and the Suntec City Mall.
Last Saturday, some netizens found that the Tai Er Suancai&Fish JEM branch had posted a job listing offering a high salary rarely seen in Singapore in the restaurant chain business. This quickly caused a buzz online.
The job listing says there are openings for a store manager, a back-of-house manager, a front-of-house waiter, and a dishwasher. The store manager gets S$4,350 a month, the kitchen manager gets S$3,750 (about RM12,262.50 a month), waiters and dishwashers can get S$3,250 a month, and part-time hourly wage is S$15 (about RM49.50). The restaurant also feeds its staff three meals a day and gives out awards for perfect attendance.
Some people on the Internet said that a part-time hourly wage of S$15 is unusual in Singapore’s restaurant chains and is more than double what some businesses pay. This is because many people want to work in restaurants and are willing to apply for jobs in the industry. In today’s inflationary environment, the restaurant industry should offer similar pay packages to attract workers.
But there are also rumors, based on what has happened in the past, that the posted salary is only the maximum and that the starting salary for each job will be less than S$1,000 (about RM3,270).
Yesterday afternoon, a Shin Min Daily News reporter went to the Tai Er Suancai&Fish store in JEM. When asked, Mr. Teo, the branch reserve officer, said that the monthly salary listed on the job posting is the amount that can be earned as soon as the person is hired.
“Dishwashers, waiters, and other workers get a monthly starting salary of S$3,250. So far as I know, the starting salary for a reserve store manager is S$4,350. If he opens a new store and is promoted to the store manager, he seems to get a raise.”
He said that the salary for recruiting was raised by about S$300 (RM981) in December of last year, which did help to get more people to apply for the job.
“We have our application requirements, and applicants must pass an interview. We’re mostly looking to hire Singaporeans and permanent residents right now.”
When asked, Dr. Xu Yuanrui, a lecturer in human resource management at Singapore University of Social Sciences, said that according to the Ministry of Manpower’s salary data for different industries in 2021, Tai Er Suancai&Fish pays waiters, dishwashers, and store managers in the 80th to 90th percentile, probably as part of a “market-leading” salary strategy.
According to Xu Yuanrui’s analysis, staff turnover in the restaurant industry affects the strength and quality of service. It drives up the cost of hiring and training new employees. It makes sense to pay them more to keep good employees and cut down on turnover. On the other hand, a back-of-house manager’s monthly salary of S$3,750 is about average for the industry.
Xu Yuanrui said that companies with higher salaries might expect better work from their employees. If handled poorly, this can quickly worsen conflicts and lead to burnout. Employers should also pay attention to their employees’ mental health.
“On a personal level, restaurants that pay high wages may make workers at other restaurants feel out of balance and unhappy with their pay. But most companies are likely able to justify the salary they offer. At some point, job seekers may realize that there is no such thing as a free lunch and that getting a high salary is not easy and comes with its rules. This will also help people looking for jobs adjust their overall salary goals.”
