The Social Kitchen promotes plant-based diets and creates employment for vulnerable communities, including those with Down syndrome, autism and bipolar disorder.

The Social Kitchen promotes plant-based diets and creates employment for vulnerable communities, including those with Down syndrome, autism and bipolar disorder.

The Social Kitchen (TSK) combines its social purpose of empowering vulnerable communities and its environmental aim of addressing climate change through its mission, “sustainable food powered by a sustainable workforce.”

Promoting sustainable diets

In line with its goal of addressing climate change and resource depletion, TSK promotes plant-based diets and encourages environmentally friendly practices as part of its sustainable business model.

TSK’s menu and retail activity revolve around the sale and production of plant-based food to raise awareness of the importance of sustainability. TSK recognises the common misconception that taste and nutrition are compromised in plant-based diets. To combat this fallacy, TSK collaborates with well-known food and beverage (F&B) brands, providing quality mid-tier to high-end dining options. For example, it partnered with Holland-based meat-substitute brand The Vegetarian Butcher for outlets at the Jurong Bird Park and Gardens by the Bay.

In setting up such “cloud kitchens,” TSK also uses former under-utilised kitchens by reinventing these spaces for social and community purposes. This ensures that resources are not wasted in the development of a new space and makes use of resources already present.

At the same time, these cloud kitchens are attractive to many F&B operators who want to expand their footprint in Singapore without the hefty capital investment. By investing or partnering with TSK, these operators also do good by enabling TSK to hire more PWDs to work in these cloud kitchens.

Inclusive hiring programme

As part of its social cause, TSK aims to empower members of vulnerable communities through employment and integration with the wider community. To this end, TSK partners with community organisations to hire PWDs. TSK bases its training on the restaurant or retail environment where employees interact with the community at large. With such on-the-job training, employees can better integrate into society through day-to-day interactions and gain experience beyond technical skills. Under this task-oriented training programme, PWDs are trained at their own pace.

Since joining TSK, Esther has gained self-confidence and now manages the whole cafe herself.

TSK recognises that helping PWDs goes beyond providing employment and upskilling opportunities. Employees are also encouraged to participate in activities outside working hours, such as badminton and art classes. TSK strives to maintain a healthy relationship with its employees even after they leave the organisation.

Partnerships for mutually beneficial outcomes

TSK’s current model allows it to provide a strong safety net that different community partners can tap on. This allows many businesses to employ and engage TSK’s employees in a structured manner, allowing both organisations to be a meaningful force for good. TSK partners with businesses that want to participate in corporate social responsibility activities but lack a platform to do so.

Packing bento meals to donate to needy families

Given its human resources and network with other social organisations, TSK offers corporates collaboration opportunities to do good together. For example, TSK launched the “BOX-ING GOOD” campaign, encouraging companies to work with it to pack and deliver bento boxes to vulnerable communities. Similarly, the “Sacrifice Nothing” campaign was launched in June 2021, where a multinational corporation donated plant-based burger patties and a bakery heavily subsidised the cost of burgers. Together, the three organisations produced and distributed 50,000 plant-based burgers to frontline workers in appreciation of their hard work. Such campaigns created jobs for the PWDs and provided a source of income to support themselves and their family.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, TSK hired people from the vulnerable community to wrap 50,000 plant-based burgers.

Becoming the largest employer of PWDs

TSK is working towards becoming the largest employer of PWDs by expanding its number of outlets and hiring more PWDs. With 11 outlets in 2022, TSK is on the road to success. In the next five years, TSK hopes to have 50 outlets and a PWD staff strength of 500. Ultimately, TSK hopes to provide PWDs with sustainable jobs that will cultivate their independence and gradually reduce their reliance on the organisation.