Nic & Tom Eatery reopens with free food and 1% service charge

Nic & Tom Eatery reopens with free food and 1% service charge
Co-founders Nicholas Lim and Tommy Pang are re-opening Nic & Tom Eatery in Chinatown.
PHOTO: The Straits Times file

SINGAPORE - Casual family restaurant Nic & Tom Eatery is celebrating its opening in Chinatown with an eat-for-free promotion.

Consumers can dine in for free in return for following the eatery's Instagram account and sharing its latest post. The promotion runs from Wednesday to Friday.

Diners can take their pick of 35 food items and 11 drinks, but takeaways are not allowed. The eatery is not accepting paying customers for the duration of the promotion.

Nic & Tom was previously in Serangoon Garden Way, but had to move out in June due to rental issues.

Co-owners and cousins Tommy Pang, 25, and Nicholas Lim, 22, spent about $300,000 renting and renovating their new space at 6 and 8 Sago Street - previously occupied by Hao Lai Wu Steamboat BBQ.

The new space can accommodate 96 diners and has an outdoor area.

Mr Pang says of the promotion: "Some people may call this a publicity stunt, but it would cost us much less to pay for advertisements."

The duo reckons that the cost of letting people dine for free for three days could come up to $60,000.

Mr Pang says: "We are sincere about treating our customers to free meals for the three days, but we hope diners will order the amount that they can eat and not let food go to waste."

They had wanted to offer a 50 per cent discount, but decided to go all out to attract more to try their food.

The duo have signed a four-year lease with an option to extend it for another four years.

The menu is largely the same, with four new items. Prices are subject to the goods and services tax, as well as a 1 per cent service charge.

The cheapest item on the menu is Nic & Tom's well-loved Tuckshop Rice ($1.90), which is limited to one order a diner.

New items available under the promotion include Dancing Prawns ($8.90), which are prawns from Saudi Arabia served chilled with wasabi; Nic & Tom Sesame Buns ($3.90 each, with a minimum order of three); and Swirly Intestine ($9), rolled intestines served in gravy.

To take part in the promotion, follow Nic & Tom's Instagram account @nictomeatery, like and tag three people who are not present with you at the eatery and share its latest Instagram post on your Instagram story.

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This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.

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