Joo Koon Thai food stall imposes 20-cent ‘Gas and oil Surcharge’, netizens split
A Thai food stall in Jurong has become the topic of online discussion for implementing a 20-cent “Gas and oil Surcharge” for food items.
In a post on the Singapore Raw Subreddit, a user named Mingz shared a photo of a receipt from a Thai food stall, where they purchased a $7 pad thai dish. The receipt also showed a $0.20 “Gas & oil surcharge”, bringing the total bill to $7.20.
“First time see such surcharge on food,” Mingz wrote.
The stall in question was found to be 803 Thai Food, located at Block 511 Upper Jurong Road, a stone’s throw away from Joo Koon MRT station.
Checks by Stomp found that the stall had announced on its Facebook page that surcharges would apply from April 6 until further notice, with the amount depending on the type of order and dining arrangement.
For dine-in orders, the surcharge is set at:
- 20 cents per rice and noodle items
- 30 cents per a la carte item
- $2 per family set meal
For deliveries, an additional $1.80 surcharge applies, attributed to rising fuel costs.
The “recent rapid increase in fuel, cooking oil & gas prices has necessitated this change,” the caption read.
“Hopefully this will not last long.”
In an earlier report by The Straits Times, food manufacturers described the impact of the Middle East energy crisis on Singapore’s food and beverage (F&B) industry as worse than the Covid-19 pandemic.
Increase in gas and oil prices ‘hard to absorb’
Speaking to Stomp, Mr Tan, the owner of 803 Thai Food, said he introduced the surcharges as a last resort.
According to Mr Tan, the price of gas rose from $19.20 to $21.20 at the start of April — an increase of about 10%. Meanwhile, the price of an 18kg tin of oil has increased by $4 over the past three weeks.
Overall, he said he is now spending extra $500 per month on gas and oil — a cost he said is “hard to absorb” on his own. However, Mr Tan noted that it would be unrealistic to fully pass on the increased costs to consumers and therefore absorbs part of them himself.
To cut costs, the 40-year-old now orders supplies every two days instead of daily to save on delivery fees.
Mr Tan said he had observed other F&B establishments raising prices by 50 cents to $1, adding that his 20-cent surcharge is relatively modest in comparison. He also noted that, unlike permanent price increases elsewhere, 803 Thai Food’s surcharge “can be pulled out anytime”.
He also shared that no customer has complained about the surcharge, with the exception of one diner who commented on it in a sarcastic tone.
Netizens split over 20-cent surcharge
The Reddit thread has garnered over 300 upvotes and 65 comments.
Several Redditors pointed out that the separate surcharges suggest the measure is temporary, and could be removed at a future date.
“Itemised bill is actually very transparent. It’s a good practice versus the 101 different businesses that raise prices permanently with no cost breakdown,” one user noted.
However, some netizens took the surcharge more negatively.
A one-star Google review left on 803 Thai Food’s page on April 15 accused the stall of “profiteering”. Some users under the Reddit post also slammed the stall, with one commenting, “Taking advantage of global conflict, shame on the eatery”.
In response, some netizens jumped to the stall’s defence, saying that rising costs linked to the Middle East crisis have forced F&B operators to raise prices.
“As long as they inform customers up front and early about the surcharge, it’s fair and upright.”
See something interesting? Contribute your story to us.
