Diner puzzled by Chinese-only receipt at VivoCity eatery after being spoken to in Mandarin: ‘I want to read what?’
A customer who dined at a restaurant serving Chinese cuisine at VivoCity said he was unexpectedly spoken to in Mandarin and given a receipt printed entirely in Chinese, leaving him struggling to communicate with staff members.
Azri, the 24-year-old diner, said he visited the restaurant at around 2pm on June 25.
“First of all, the server cannot speak English,” he says in a TikTok video posted on the same day, adding that he had to ask for a cup of water using the limited Mandarin he knew.
He then pans the camera to the bill he was given, showing his order written entirely in Chinese.
“You tell me, I want to read what?” he asks.
Would patronise the restaurant again
Speaking to Stomp, Azri said there was a language barrier between him and the staff member.
He explained that he is not fluent in Mandarin and understands just enough to pick up contextual clues, after learning a few common phrases through work.
“It was funny to me as the receipt given to me was in Chinese, I just assumed that it would be in English as we are in a country where the common language is English,” he said.
It was his first time visiting the outlet and he had not encountered similar situations before, prompting his amused reaction.
Despite the encounter, he said he was “thankful” that he was able to communicate with the waitress, even with his limited understanding of the language.
“I would go again to the eatery 100%,” he concluded.
Stomp has reached out to the restaurant for comment.
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