Recent Rise In Fake F&B Bulk Orders: How You Can Protect Your Business

Running an F&B business in Singapore is already challenging with rising rental and manpower costs. Now, another problem has been hurting café, restaurant, coffeeshop stall owners and hawkers fake bulk orders.

Recently, more F&B merchants have reported cases where someone places a huge order, often hundreds of dollars’ worth, only to never show up. Since no payment was made upfront, the business is left with wasted food and ingredients costs.

Why Fake Bulk Orders Hurt F&B Businesses

Fake bulk orders may seem like an isolated prank, but the impact on a business is very real:

1. Financial Losses

Preparing a large catering order often requires significant ingredients, packaging, and staff time. When customers don’t show up, all those resources go to waste. For smaller operators, even one fake order can wipe out a day’s profits.

2. Operational Disruption

Large bulk orders require advance preparation, tying up both kitchen capacity and manpower. This means genuine dine in or takeaway customers may face longer waiting times, slower service, or even get turned away leading to lost revenue opportunities.

3. Staff Morale Issues

Imagine your chefs and kitchen crew spending hours preparing trays of food, only to find out the customer was never real. Over time, this lowers morale and contributes to staff burnout.

4. Damage to Reputation

If a business preps heavily for fake orders, it may compromise quality or service for real customers at the same time. Poor experiences can lead to negative reviews, further hurting the brand.

5. Opportunity Costs

Fake bulk orders don’t just waste money — they take away capacity. A kitchen busy fulfilling a fraudulent order could have served dozens of genuine customers in that time.

How F&B Businesses Can Protect Themselves

Fortunately, there are steps businesses can take to reduce the risk of being scammed by fake bulk orders.

1. Require Deposits or Prepayment

One of the simplest protections is requiring at least a 50% deposit, or even full payment, for large orders. This ensures commitment and discourages pranksters.

2. Use Secure Online Ordering with Payment Integration

Instead of relying on phone calls or WhatsApp messages for big orders, shift customers to a proper online ordering system. With built-in payment gateways, orders are only confirmed once payment is made.

3. Implement Order Verification

For bulk or unusual orders, add a verification step — such as SMS or WhatsApp confirmation, or even a quick phone call. This ensures legitimacy before committing resources.

4. Educate Staff

Train frontline staff to spot red flags, such as unusually large orders with urgent deadlines, vague delivery details, or refusal to make deposits.

How MEGAPOS Protects F&B Merchants

At MEGAPOS, we’ve designed our Online Ordering Solution to help merchants avoid the risks of fake bulk orders. Our system requires customers to pay online first before an order is confirmed — meaning your kitchen never starts cooking unless payment is secured.

With MEGAPOS, you get:

• ✅ Upfront Payment Collection – no more unpaid bulk orders.
• ✅ Seamless POS Integration – payments and orders flow straight into your POS.
• ✅ Fraud Reduction – filter out bad actors and focus only on genuine customers.
• ✅ Customer Confidence – a smooth, cashless checkout experience that builds trust.

This approach not only protects your business from financial losses but also ensures that your staff and resources are dedicated to serving real, paying customers.

Conclusion: Protect Your Business from Costly No-Shows

Fake bulk orders are more than just an inconvenience — they’re a growing threat to Singapore’s F&B operators. By preparing proactively with online ordering and secure payment collection, you can safeguard your business against wasted time, resources, and revenue.

With MEGAPOS Online Ordering, you get peace of mind knowing that every order is real, paid, and ready to serve.

Don’t let fake orders drain your profits. Contact us by clicking here to learn how MEGAPOS can protect and grow your F&B business.