PizzaExpress Exit: A Digital Wake-Up Call for F&B

PizzaExpress just shrank to two outlets in Singapore—after closing Millenia Walk and Scotts Square at the end of 2025. For a brand that entered Singapore in 2016 and sits inside a global footprint of 500+ restaurants, that’s not a small move.

If you run an SME—especially in Singapore’s F&B scene—this isn’t gossip. It’s a reminder that brand recognition doesn’t equal demand, and foot traffic isn’t a strategy. The operators who survive 2026 are the ones who can generate customers on purpose through Singapore digital marketing: search visibility, repeatable acquisition funnels, and retention that doesn’t depend on “walk-ins.”

This post is part of our Singapore SME Digital Marketing series, and I’m going to take a clear stance: many F&B closures are marketing failures before they’re food failures. Not because the food is bad, but because the business can’t consistently reach the right customers at the right time with the right offer.

What PizzaExpress’ downsizing really signals for Singapore F&B

The immediate story is simple: PizzaExpress Singapore confirmed via a Facebook update that two outlets stopped operating from Dec 31, 2025, leaving Duo Galleria (Bugis) and The Star Vista still open. Millenia Walk, notably, had been operating less than a year after opening in Jan 2025.

The bigger signal is about the environment you’re operating in.

Singapore’s F&B market has been taking punches for years. In 2024, 3,047 F&B businesses shut down—the highest in nearly two decades. And from Jan to Oct 2025, a reported 82% of 2,431 closures were unprofitable. When closures are that widespread, it’s not just “bad operators.” It’s structural: rent, labour, competition, delivery platform fees, and changing consumer habits.

Here’s the hard truth: you can’t cost-cut your way to growth. When the market tightens, the winners typically do two things:

1. They protect demand (keep leads and bookings coming)
2. They protect margins (increase average order value and repeat purchases)

Digital marketing is one of the few levers that can do both—if you treat it like a system, not occasional posting.

Why famous brands still lose: foot traffic isn’t predictable demand

A common myth in Singapore retail and mall-based F&B is: “If the location is strong, we’ll be fine.”

Most companies get this wrong.

A good location gives you opportunity, not certainty. Even in high-traffic malls, your store competes with:

• Other food options on the same floor
• Limited customer time and attention
• Budget fatigue (people are more selective)
• Delivery and pick-up habits that bypass mall wandering

The demand equation most SMEs ignore

Demand isn’t “people exist nearby.” Demand is:

• Discoverability (can they find you on Google/Maps when hungry?)
• Confidence (do your reviews, photos, and menu reduce doubt?)
• Relevance (do you match a specific craving/occasion?)
• Convenience (can they reserve/order quickly?)
• Retention (will they come back without being reminded?)

If any of these break, even a well-known chain can shrink. This is where online visibility for F&B businesses in Singapore stops being a “nice-to-have.” It becomes survival.

The digital survival stack for Singapore F&B (what I’d fix first)

If you’re an SME owner reading about another closure and thinking, “How do I not become the next headline?”, here’s the stack I’d prioritise. Not everything at once—just in the right order.

1) Win Google first: Local SEO and Maps or you’re invisible

The fastest, most consistent channel for many F&B SMEs is still Google Search + Google Maps. When someone types “pizza near me” or “Bugis dinner,” they’re not browsing. They’re ready to buy.

Your non-negotiables:

• Claim and fully complete your Google Business Profile
• Add accurate categories, hours, menu links, reservation/order links
• Post updated photos (food, storefront, interior, bestsellers)
• Actively collect reviews (and reply to them)
• Build location pages on your website (even if you have one outlet)

Snippet-worthy truth: If your Google listing looks neglected, customers assume your kitchen is too.

2) Stop “posting”—start running campaigns with one job

A lot of F&B social media marketing in Singapore fails because posts try to do everything: branding, menu, hiring, promotions, vibes. The result is usually… nothing.

Instead, run small campaigns with one job each:

• Lunch campaign: 11am–2pm, office crowd, fast sets, clear pricing
• Family dinner campaign: weekends, sharing platters, kids eat free
• Occasion campaign: birthdays, set menus, reservation-first flow
• Rainy-day campaign: delivery bundles, free sides above a threshold

And each campaign should answer in seconds:

• Who is this for?
• What’s the offer?
• Where is it?
• How do I order/book?

If you do paid ads (Meta/TikTok/Google), keep it simple: one objective, one audience, one landing action.

3) Build a repeat customer engine (because acquisition is expensive)

When markets tighten, acquisition costs rise. The businesses that last are the ones that turn first-time customers into second and third-time customers.

What works for SMEs without fancy tech:

• A straightforward WhatsApp broadcast list (opt-in only)
• A basic email list from reservations and online orders
• A simple loyalty mechanic: “Buy 5, get 1 free” or member-only sides
• Post-purchase prompts: “Review us on Google for a free topping next time”

One-liner I’ve found to be true: Retention is the only marketing channel that gets cheaper the more you use it.

4) Make your menu and offers measurable (not just pretty)

Many restaurants treat menus as creative assets. In 2026, they’re also conversion assets.

A few practical upgrades:

• Feature 3–5 hero items you can confidently sell at scale
• Bundle to increase AOV: “2 mains + 1 side + 2 drinks”
• Add a “first-time order” set to reduce decision stress
• Use consistent naming across Google, delivery platforms, and social

If you can’t tell which items drive profit and repeats, you’re guessing. And guessing gets expensive fast in Singapore.

“Could digital marketing have saved PizzaExpress?” The right way to ask it

No one outside the business can claim a single cause behind an outlet closure. PizzaExpress has faced financial pressure globally (including a major debt restructuring in 2020), and Singapore’s F&B economics are brutal.

But here’s the useful question for SMEs:

If foot traffic drops 20% next month, can you replace it with predictable online demand?

That’s what a resilient digital marketing system gives you. Not viral growth. Not “more followers.” A controllable pipeline.

A practical stress test for your business

Try this quick check:

1. If your outlet moved one MRT stop away, would customers still find you?
2. If you paused delivery platforms for 30 days, could you still generate orders?
3. If a competitor copied your menu tomorrow, what would make people choose you?

If these questions feel uncomfortable, good. Discomfort is cheaper than closure.

A 30-day digital action plan for Singapore F&B SMEs

This is the plan I’d run with a typical single-outlet SME that wants leads and sales fast—without turning marketing into a full-time job.

Week 1: Fix your “findability”

• Update Google Business Profile (photos, menu, categories, hours)
• Create a short link for reservations/orders
• Ask 20 happy customers for Google reviews (script your staff)

Week 2: Launch one campaign, one channel

• Pick one: lunch / dinner / delivery bundle
• Produce 6–10 short videos (phone is fine)
• Run a small paid budget to a tight radius around your outlet

Week 3: Add retention

• Start WhatsApp or email opt-in with a clear reason to join
• Send one message per week: new set, limited-time bundle, member perk

Week 4: Measure and tighten

Track three numbers only:

• Cost per reservation/order (or cost per message click)
• Average order value
• Repeat rate (even a basic estimate)

Then cut what doesn’t work and double down on what does. Boring wins.

Where this fits in the Singapore SME Digital Marketing series

Across this series, we’ve been pushing a consistent idea: digital marketing for SMEs in Singapore isn’t about doing more—it’s about building systems you can run every week.

PizzaExpress shrinking to two outlets is a high-profile reminder of the same lesson smaller brands learn the hard way: the market doesn’t reward familiarity; it rewards relevance and reach.

If you’re running an F&B business in 2026, ask yourself one forward-looking question: are you depending on location and luck, or are you building a demand engine you control?