SINGAPORE: Jollibean has been in the news lately due to sudden branch closures and allegations of unpaid salaries. Reportedly due to downsizing, only five outlets remain of the F&B brand, which sells soy-based products — down from 30 at the height of its popularity.

On Thursday (July 10), CNA reported that Jollibean’s employees claimed that their wages and Central Provident Fund (CPF) contributions had not been paid for several months.

The report added that the company now has a new owner and that problems with workers’ salaries are being ironed out, with a resolution expected to be reached by the end of July.

In a statement to CNA, the Food, Drinks and Allied Workers Union (FDAWU) said, “Affected workers can approach the Tripartite Alliance for Dispute Management (TADM) to make an appointment for advisory services on employment disputes.”

On July 2, a woman took to the Complaint Singapore Facebook page to let others know that she had seen that many of the Jollibean outlets appeared to be closed, including those at Raffles Place MRT and Bugis Junction. She wrote that a search on Google had shown that many outlets were listed as “temporarily closed.”

She added that Shopee had stopped selling Jollibean F&B deals and vouchers.

When the CNA report was shared on Reddit, a number of commenters appeared to be unsurprised at Jollibean’s closures and problems, claiming competitor brands such as Munchi and Mr Bean were partly responsible for its woes. Others, meanwhile, said they’ve seen a drop in the quality of the brand’s products for some time now.

“As a lover of the thick style min jiang kueh, I have a soft spot for Jollibean because it was a quick & fairly reliable way to satisfy my cravings. But the last few times I ate it, it was just clammy, overly sweet, and the peanut filling, as well as the pancake itself lacked flavour. Not particularly cheap either. Overall, just a bit sad to see an ex-household name die this way,” wrote one.

“TBH, Jollibean has been dropping in quality for a while. Nowadays, it’s just getting massacred by Munchi,” another agreed.

“Jollibean is a personal favourite for pancakes. Lately feels like their sizes have decreased quite significantly, though, and i...