Lyla Lin

Singapore
LOOP PR; MyTreatSG; #savefnbsg

Instagram: @lylatheeatgirl; @loopprsg; @mytreatsg

*Changemakers is a Cross Cultures series spotlighting inspiring women who are creating and doing in the F&B ecosystem; eading the way and helping better the world.

Born and raised in Singapore, Lyla Lin is the founder of LOOP PR, a boutique communications agency, which counts San Pellegrino, Bjorn Frantzén’s two-Michelin-starred Restaurant Zén, natural wine bar RVLT, ilLido Group of Restaurants, as some of her clients. She is also the co-founder of My Treat, an initiative to bring cheer to anyone in need through food (which, with the advent of COVID-19, has expanded to Our Treat– a fundraising initiative to provide meals for healthcare professionals on the frontline.) Lyla is also community leader of #savefnbsg, coalition of over 500 restaurants that have banded together to support each other in this COVID-19 crisis. She is a big fan of natural wines.

Tell us about you. Where were you born, raised, and what you are making or doing at present?

I’m a true blue Singaporean, born and raised in the heartlands of Singapore. Apart from an 18-month-stint in Kuala Lumpur opening a fine dining restaurant there, I’ve been here in this sunny island nation all my life and loving it!
 
I’m the co-founder of LOOP PR, a boutique communications agency for the F&B industry. It was started honestly out of our passion for the F&B industry. My agency partner and I had seen both sides of the coin and wanted to create a client-agency culture that can truly address the needs of the F&B industry. I’m super proud that while we’re small and young, we work with amazing clients – all of whom who truly defines hospitality, such as Restaurant Zén, RVLT, ilLido Group of restaurants, San Pellegrino and more. 
 
I’m also leading a kindness social movement #MyTreatSG and #savefnbsg, a community platform for restaurant owners to come together to support each other to overcome the industry challenges that COVID-19 has brought us.  
 

How did you end up working at your present career? How long have you been doing this/ When did you start?

I started LOOP in 2017, after a decade of experiences in events, marketing and PR for lifestyle and F&B brands, with both agencies and in-house. Even as a teen, I always knew that I wanted to pursue a field in marketing and media, which took me to an education in mass communications. I am someone who believes in the adage of “do what you love and love what you do”, so naturally, it didn’t take long for me to merge my skillsets with my other love – eating and drinking.
 

What was the biggest challenge you have faced?

To be honest, I’m never one to keep bad memories with me so I’ve forgotten!

The time I opened up four different dining concepts in a year, including one in Bali, was extremely challenging! That was an insane period of time, as I worked on all aspects of opening personally from the ground up – from branding and design, to sales and marketing communications, and operations (training, landlord liaison etc) – on top of maintaining existing projects. Because I’m such an “all-or-nothing” person who does things with all her might, there was no day and no night for a whole year. Don’t get me wrong, I loved every part of it, but it was definitely a very steep learning curve and the stress was so intense that it brought about a period of massive burnout.

On that note, it’s why I am so vested in the industry, and why I wanted to give back through my agency, and #MyTreatSG and #savefnbsg initiatives. I know how much passion, energy and hard work it takes to run a F&B business.
 

How/ what did you do to get over it?

I ate my heart out 😉 Jokes aside, trust the power of positivity. I took everything in my stride and recalibrated myself for greater balance. Having a good support system is really important in times like this too. I was blessed to have great girlfriends by my side.

Today, I can look back and see it as a learning point. It’s taught me the courage and ability to overcome difficult times by finding purpose, which I can especially appreciate during this time.
 

What is the best advice you can give to anyone wanting to get into or excel in your field?

I have a 3P’s principle: proactivity, passion, patience. Ultimately, you’ve got to have heart. When you have the heart, you’ll always take the extra effort to take care of people the way they deserve and more.

Always find it in yourself to learn, be it understanding your clients’ philosophy from inside out, to knowing each media’s needs. There’s no shortcut to this, just sheer commitment.

Being sincere, honest and credible also goes a long way.

What is your favorite thing about your culture or living in your city?

I love how easy it is to live here. And of course the bountiful selection of dining options in Singapore! It’s impossible to get bored with the dining scene here. Even now we’re all staying at home to flatten the curve, the delivery choices are aplenty! 

Singapore reintroduced quarantine measures– circuit breaker– in April til June. How are/ have you been spending your days during this COVID-19 quarantine period?

Just before Singapore’s circuit breaker started, we started the #savefnbsg community that has initiated several B2B and B2C movements for the independent restaurant and bars in Singapore.
Together with food writer and private chef Annette Tan, I’ve also launched a consumer-centric social movements #MyTreatSG and #OurTreatSG.

I’ve also been helping many of my clients (whether past or current) during this challenging time. Many of them don’t have the capacity to engage a PR agency at this time but it’s even more crucial to have marketing and PR presence at this time, so we’ve been helping out wherever we can. We’re also working with our client Zhen Gin, a new Asian climate-positive gin, on a #BarTabSG Relief Fund for the bar community. Bars are amongst the first to take a hit from COVID-19, as they had to close since March. The #BarTabSGB Relief Fund pledges up to 40% of its sales to locally-based bars and bartenders from now to 30 June 2020, as our way of giving back to them.

Work aside, I’ve been cooking a lot (like the rest of the world). I started “weekly social traditions” with friends, including a weekly catch-up with friends over natty wines, and a Sunday “cook-together” session with my fellow foodie girlfriend where we do a new recipe together (virtually).

Please tell us about #MYTREATSG and #SAVEFNBSG, and how readers can take part of it.

#savefnbsg is a coalition of over 500 restaurants that have banded together to support each other in this COVID-19 crisis. It started back in late March when Loh Lik Peng (Unlisted Collection) and Beppe De Vito (ilLido Group) came together to get other restaurant owners together to discuss what the industry needs to do to survive this period. #savefnbsg is about coming together as one united voice to be heard, as we’ll need all the continued support we can get for restaurant owners to save jobs and businesses during this difficult period.

We created the #savefnbsg hashtag on social media for consumers to know that they can help too. We’re heartened to see that the hashtag has gone viral, with more than 20k posts to date!

With circumstances and policies changing on a daily basis, it has also grown into a support group, where F&B owners are helping each other by sharing information, advice and resources amidst the challenging times of pivoting their businesses. We are also connecting our community with purposeful partnerships and conversations with various industry stakeholders. Coming up, we are planning to provide industry insights to help everyone on their road to reopening and recovery, and we are also working on a courtesy campaign to encourage kindness between restaurants and consumers during this time when we are all adapting to the new norm (of deliveries).

More information on #savefnbsg can be found on the official website of #savefnbsg: www.wearefnbsg.com or email us at savefnbsg@loop-pr.sg.

With #MyTreatSG, Annette and I both wanted to bring cheer and positivity around while supporting F&B businesses. It’s really simple – send a meal to someone in need, be it your friend, a family member, a colleague or even to a charity organization. While making someone’s day, you are also doing the same for F&B businesses by buying from them. You’re welcome to order from any F&B business you wish to support. All we ask is that you and your recipient post about it using the IG story templates (that you can find on @mytreatsg), to keep the movement going. We’ve also rolled out Our Treat, which is our sister fundraising initiative. Funds raised go to buying meals for healthcare professionals on the frontline. The purpose is the same: to make someone’s day while giving business to F&B owners. To participate or find out more, visit MyTreat’s Instagram page on @mytreatsg