RATIO Singapore – AI Powered Cafe By Day & Lounge By Night

A cafe by day. A lounge by night. Powered by AI. Custom-crafted coffee, Nanyang kopi and cocktails made precisely to each individual’s RATIO of ingredients. RATIO Singapore, the revolutionary retail concept successfully launched in 2018 at several locations in China has found its way home and officially launched in Singapore on 2 November 2020. 

RATIO Singapore – The Concept

Combining tradition, innovative technology and exquisite taste, RATIO’s menu is customisable from the first to the very last drop. Drinks are made-to-order, in the exact RATIO you prefer. Like a 1.2 shot of espresso in your latte? Check. Like your Kopi-O Gau to be super Gau? Done. Feel like being your own bartender for the evening and experimenting with a unique concoction of spirits, liqueurs and mixers? Absolutely.

ATIO’s obsession with precision is driven by science, and inspired by heritage and tastes. Every individual has genetically unique sensory capacities and preference for bitter, sweet and umami ratios. No two taste palates are exactly alike. That’s why unique and individual drink profiles are the guiding principles at RATIO.

RATIO Singapore – The Mechanics 

Harnessing the accuracy and consistency of robotics, RATIO executes each drink precisely to order and speed – one latte in under one minute. No mistakes, no hygiene issues and no downtime. Powered by robotics and artificial intelligence (AI), RATIO remembers and stores your orders for the future, so you don’t have to repeat your orders. You can skip the queue by placing your order over the Ratio app even before you get to the store, do it using our self-ordering kiosk, or do it the old-fashioned way of ordering at the cashier – they have got you covered on all angles.

“Robots and A.I. are not here to replace the human touch. Instead, the human-centric tech frees us from repetitive work which humans may not want to do. It is here to execute human orders, enabling our team of RATIO-logists, trained by Asia’s best taochews, baristas and mixologists, to create that personal touch, so humans can do what humans do best – communicate and have great conversations,” says RATIO’s founder Gavin Pathross.

In fact, over the course of two years, RATIO experienced a significantly lower staff attrition rate in China, where it was first rolled this out, because of the increased job satisfaction. Customers love the fact that their RATIO-logists can engage with them without the usual distractions, coupled with a technology that remembers their orders each time, and these, in part, led to a high repeat customer rate.

 RATIO Singapore – The RATIO-logists

At the core of RATIO is a team of seasoned RATIO-logists with a combined 50 years of experience in the Food & Beverage industry, to serve and enlighten both the uninitiated curious drinker as well as the seasoned connoisseur.

“We’re literally raising the bar (pun intended) on beverage service,” says Head RATIO-logist Steve Teo,  “Our team will help customers discover their individual preferences and customise their own RATIO. We want you to be particular about your Negroni and select precisely one part Campari, one part Gin and one part Vermouth. Or play it up a little and swap the Campari with a different bitters.”

RATIO Singapore – The Disrupter

From a quick perk-me-up in the day, to non-alcoholic cocktails for those wishing to abstain in style, classics for the astute and a truly indulgent collection of unique seasonal cocktails, RATIO has something for everyone to enjoy in intimate chic.

The home-coming expansion of RATIO in Singapore is made possible by investment led by a consortium of like-minded partners comprising Frasers Property, JustCo, zVentures, ORO and other high-profile individuals. With new funding, RATIO extended the development of its robotic technology to brew Singapore’s local Nanyang kopi, making it possible for RATIO to fly the Nanyang kopi flag high internationally in conjunction with its overseas expansion plans.

“The robotics and AI being introduced through RATIO Singapore complement the use of technology in the real estate industry. We see RATIO’s potential in optimising the use of space with a small footprint and enable the curation of new experiences for customers in hospitality, retail and commercial properties. It also enables a new ‘space-as-a-service’ business model when the technology is adopted in diverse properties. The flagship store of RATIO next to JustCo at The Centrepoint is a good example,” says Uten Lohachitpitaks, Group Chief Investment Officer, Frasers Property Limited.

 RATIO Singapore – Where To Find Them

From sunrise to sundown, sit back and relish over 50 inimitable coffee and cocktail classics and unique offerings, some exclusive to RATIO Singapore, using a combination of beans from Brazil, Guatemala, Ethopia and Liberia, choice spirits, homemade Asian ingredients and dashes of imagination. Not to forget the countless coffee and cocktail combinations a customer can design from scratch for oneself or for a friend. RATIO Singapore is designed to brew java in the day and mix spirits at sundown – a truly versatile venue and space for customers to meet clients and/or socialise or to wind down and contemplate the day.

RATIO Singapore launches its very first store at The Centrepoint mall in Singapore, in conjunction with Switch, the world’s first workspace on-demand platform. Dozens more are in the pipeline at leading airports, malls, hotels and co-working spaces across Asia.

RATIO Singapore’s second location will be launched in November at Seletar Aerospace Park, in partnership with one of Singapore’s most Instagrammed F&B establishment called The Singapura Club. The Singapura Club currently operates at Haji Lane and Dunlop Street as a heritage-style vintage bistro, taproom and an all-day communal leisure dining concept. The marriage of the two concepts will be a glimpse of the famous scene of the robotic bartender in the futuristic sci-fi movie The Passenger.