BreadTalk

BreadTalk Group Private Limited is a Singaporean multinational food and beverage corporation headquartered in Paya Lebar, Singapore.
History.
BreadTalk Group Pte Ltd was founded as a bakery brand in Singapore in 2000 and listed on the SGX in 2003, before delisting on June 5 2020. It has since expanded to more than 900 retail stores spread across 15 markets. Its brand portfolio comprises of BreadTalk, Toast Box, Food Republic, Food Junction, Bread Society, Thye Moh Chan, The Icing Room, Sō Ramen, Butter Bean and Charlie Tea in Singapore. Din Tai Fung, Song Fa Bak Kut Teh and Wu Pao Chun are franchised brands.
The Group has a network of owned bakery outlets in Singapore, PRC, Malaysia, Hong Kong and Thailand as well as franchised bakery outlets across Asia, Europe and the Middle East. It also owns and operates the Din Tai Fung restaurants in Singapore, Thailand and the United Kingdom, as well as the Food Republic food atria in Singapore, China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Malaysia. In December 2018, the Group opened its first Din Tai Fung restaurant in London.
Milestones.
BreadTalk Group Pte Ltd's milestones are:
Other Brands.
Food Republic.
BreadTalk Group's Food Republic foodcourts in Singapore are situated in shopping malls such as Wisma Atria, Vivocity and Suntec City. Overseas, there are food courts in Hong Kong (also in Silvercord of Canton Road, Tsim Sha Tsui), the People's Republic of China, Malaysia, Taiwan and Thailand.
Food Junction.
BreadTalk Group acquired Food Junction in 2019.
Toast Box.
BreadTalk Group operates the Toast Box concept, serving mainly coffee and kaya toast among other more modern snacks. These Toast Box outlets are typically attached to the main BreadTalk outlet or in a Food Republic food court. There have been stand-alone stores in recent years.
Din Tai Fung.
BreadTalk Group is the franchisee of Taiwanese Xiao Long Bao restaurant, Din Tai Fung. It opened its first restaurant in the upscale Paragon shopping mall and has opened other outlets in the island, including one in Bishan and another in the basement annex of Raffles City. Din Tai Fung has 8 branches in Thailand. It was announced that BreadTalk Group has also been awarded the franchise to operate Din Tai Fung in the United Kingdom. This was the result of successful partnerships and the positive reputation that BreadTalk Group has had in managing the franchise in Singapore and Thailand.
The Icing Room.
The Icing Room is the first-ever "Design-It-Yourself" cakes and pastry shop.
Thye Moh Chan.
This 70-year old Teochew bakery was acquired in 2013.
Wu Pao Chun.
BreadTalk Group opened the first Wu Pao Chun store in South East Asia in May 2019.
Bread Society.
Bread Society embraces traditional artisanal baking techniques using highly nutritious ingredients.
Sanpoutei.
BreadTalk Group continued to partner with the Sanpou Group to expand its variety of ramen shops in Singapore. Since 2014, Sanpoutei, which specialises in Niigata-style shoyu ramen has been operating in Holland Village. Another outlet in Shaw Centre was subsequently added, in line with the successful product reception in Singapore.
Sō Ramen.
Sō Ramen is a ramen restaurant. It also offers Koshihikari rice grown from Niigata.
Butter Bean.
Butter Bean is a home-grown brand by BreadTalk Group operating as a hip café concept. It offers contemporary twists to traditional Singaporean dishes.
Charlie Tea.
Charlie Tea is a home-grown brand by BreadTalk Group specialising in a variety of tea beverages, including bubble tea, and baked goods.
Controversies.
On 25 March 2015, BreadTalk pulled buns commemorating Mr Lee Kuan Yew off shelves after receiving flak from the public. Although the proceeds from sale of the buns were meant for charitable purposes, poor communication of intentions led to the misunderstanding. BreadTalk apologised publicly on its Facebook page.
On 4 August 2015, BreadTalk stopped selling soya milk previously labelled "freshly prepared" as they confirmed (after being confronted with photographic evidence) that the product was repackaged Yeo's soya milk packet drink. Prior to investigations, the company had initially denied that they were misleading customers. After the details had gone viral online, Breadtalk eventually apologised for its actions. On 7 August 2015, the Consumer Association of Singapore warned Breadtalk they would pursue action if the practice continued.
BreadTalk's China franchise was also accused of selling food with expired ingredients, although such a claim has yet to be proven.
Seemingly contaminated wheatmeal and butter two years past its expiry date were among discoveries claimed by an undercover reporter at Hangzhou Guangqi Trade Co, in the eastern city of Hangzhou.
On 10 June 2019, the Public Utilities Board (PUB) disclosed that BreadTalk was fined S$16,300 for repeated offences of illegal waste discharge into sewers, making it among 38 companies fined for similar offences. Prior to this, BreadTalk was slapped a fine of S$19,000 for six other incidents of illegal waste discharge.