Do you always ask for char kuey teow without bean sprouts? Well, you might want to reconsider before placing an order at this stall—it comes with an extra RM1.70 price tag.
Recently, a Char Kuey Teow stall hawker at the Fajar Shopping Centre food court stirred up heat by charging an extra SGD 50 cents, approximately RM1.70, if customers requested char kway teow without bean sprouts.
S’porean hawker charges extra for people who don’t eat Taugeh
According to a report from Singapore, the stall’s owner came forward to justify the additional RM1.70 charge for bean sprout-free char kway teow.
The 50-year-old female owner explained that originally, one batch of frying could yield four or five servings.
However, preparing a bean sprout-free meal takes a significant amount of time.
As per a notice displayed beneath the menu board, any request for additional ingredients in the meal will have an extra charge, also noting the bean sprout-free charges.
Even in their menu, they clearly stated that choosing to exclude bean sprouts also comes with an additional cost of RM1.70.
The 20-year-old experienced hawker recounted an encounter when a customer ordered three packs of fried noodles: one with pure noodles, one with pure kway teow, and one with pure rice noodles.
For this special request, she had to fry three separate batches.
“During this time, other customers in line would also face longer wait times,” she explained.
One of the customers who understood the hawker’s situation said that while she doesn’t particularly care for bean sprouts, she opts for the regular fried rice noodles with bean sprouts, reasoning, “I won’t spend an extra 50 cents to get fried rice noodles without bean sprouts. I can always pick them out myself.”
A 70-year-old retiree customer mentioned that he believes the stall owner has been clear about their pricing.
“If you don’t want bean sprouts, you’ll have to pay extra. Diners who find it disagreeable have the freedom to choose alternative dining choices.”
So, next time you’re craving char kway teow without bean sprouts at this particular stall, be ready to dig a little deeper into your pockets.
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