TikToker slams 'chope' culture as selfish, netizens say 'no choice'

Trixy Toh
TNP
August 6, 2025

A man has taken to TikTok to criticise Singapore's long-standing "chope" culture, calling the practice of reserving tables with tissue packets or personal items "selfish" and "nonsense".

"I'm proud to be a Singaporean," he said in the video. "But if there's one thing that I would change about our country, it is the chope culture."

View post on TikTok

'Is the table yours?'

"Chope-ing" a table, - whether seen as seat-hogging or fair game - has long sparked debate in Singapore, but it's become something of a social norm.

Not for this TikToker.

In his video, he urged diners to stop the practice, arguing that it unfairly deprives others of a place to sit in crowded food centres, "just because you placed something on that table".

"What right do you have to do that?" he questioned. "Is the table yours?"

"It is selfish. It is nonsense," he remarked.

He ended the video with a call to put an end to "chope" culture altogether.

Chope-ing is 'efficient': Netizens

The video, which has drawn more than 11,000 views and nearly 90 comments, sparked mixed reactions from netizens.

"Chope-ing is not selfish," one user commented, calling it an "efficient way to ensure a table" - essentially a form of "planning ahead".

Another wrote: "Have you ever tried finding a place to sit and eat when you are holding a tray of food and all tables are occupied?"

"I would rather wait than chope. Anyway, I usually manage to find seats," replied the TikToker in the comments.

One shared that they still use a water bottle to reserve a table before queuing for food. They'd then go back to the table to consume their meal for 10 to 20 minutes before leaving. "I won't chope for so long," they added.

One user acknowledged that the practice may be selfish, but said there's "really no choice" - especially when dining alone in a crowded hawker centre.

Some agreed with the man's view, suggesting that diners should only take a seat once they have their food.

Others suggested that cleaners should clear the tables and place the items in a "lost and found" section.

The New Paper has reached out to the TikTok user for comment.

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