For most people, queuing at a favorite hawker stall is a testament to its quality. However, while these long lines are sometimes viewed as a badge of honor, they may also highlight inefficiencies in the system.
At least this is what one prominent Singaporean figure believes, where he had strong words for hawker stalls that have long queues.
Felt queues made S’pore ‘backward & unproductive’
In a Facebook post by Tan Kin Lian, a businessman who was a candidate in Singapore’s presidential election in 2011, he criticised the long queues at popular hawker stalls, leading him to label Singapore as “backward and unproductive”.
His comments were directed at a noodle stall located near the Lavender MRT station, where he observed customers waiting up to 20 minutes just to place an order.
He then drew comparisons with his visit to the Malaysia Boleh food court at AMK Hub, where customers were given pagers after placing their orders, allowing them to avoid standing in line while waiting for their food.
He praised this system for its convenience and efficiency, suggesting that Singapore could benefit from adopting similar practices.
Netizens react
In the comment section however, netizens didn’t seem to agree with Tan’s take on the matter, saying that long queues should be seen as a positive thing and doesn’t define Singapore as regressive.
‘To Singaporeans, long queue means it’s good, and the food taste good if you have to queue. The exact same food won’t taste as good if there is no queue. It’s a circle of self fulfilling prophecy.‘
‘Most of the stalls that “want” long queue in front of their stalls are to create a feel of popularity for their food. These hawkers don’t care how long the customers wait, or how their feet hurt.’
Read the post here:
This is a popular noodle stall near Lavendar MRT. The customers have to queue for 20 minutes to place the order. There…
Posted by Tan Kin Lian on Tuesday, February 4, 2025
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