Redditor blasts Jurong East eatery for Chinese-only menu, manager says ‘no need to use English’
A Chinese restaurant in Jurong East has come under fire on Reddit for having a Chinese-only menu, prompting concerns that it may exclude non-Chinese diners.
A post shared on r/singaporeraw on March 27 by user kongweenverdie showed a menu signboard written entirely in Chinese at Xi’an Impression, an eatery at Vision Exchange in Jurong East selling Xi’an cuisine.
“All ang moh tourists won’t dine in. Tarnish our tourism image,” the caption read.
Some netizens criticised the lack of English translations.
“Just go somewhere else and don’t patronise. If they don’t bother to translate then no need to eat there,” one commenter wrote.
Xi’an Impression has several outlets across Singapore, including one at Kinex.
Pictures may not be enough
When Stomp visited the outlet on April 1, there were no English translations for the menu items. The signboards displayed clear photos of what each dish looked like, with prices listed in Chinese.
A Chinese customer, who declined to be named, told Stomp she had seen non-Chinese diners order successfully in past occasions when she patronised the eatery.
Though there are no English labels for the dishes, she said the pictures on the menu signboards can help those customers understand the restaurant’s offerings.
However, Ms Siti Aminah, 54, who frequents halal-certified Chinese restaurants, said that while images can be helpful, they may not be sufficient on their own, as it is difficult to tell what ingredients are used from pictures alone.
The teacher added that she has previously struggled to order from Chinese-language menus on behalf of friends. She noted that English descriptions, alongside images, would make it easier for customers to understand the dishes.
“For restaurants with only Chinese characters, we know these are for Chinese customers, so we may not go in,” she said.
‘No need to use English’: manager
When approached by Stomp, the manager of Xi’an Impression said she was unaware of the Reddit discussion and that the eatery has no plans to introduce English translations.
The manager, who did not wish to be named, said the restaurant rarely saw non-Chinese customers.
“We sell Chinese food. There is no need to use English,” she said.
Chef says English menus are a ‘basic service requirement’
Elsewhere in Vision Exchange, there were at least 10 Chinese eateries across the first and second floors.
While posters on the walls of the eateries were largely in Chinese, menus at several stalls seen by Stomp included English labels for their dishes.
Zhang Yong Chao, 34, head chef of He Jia Huan on the second floor, told Stomp that providing English menus and multilingual staff should be a “basic service requirement”.
He believes having English translations in his menu has helped his restaurant attract customers of various nationalities. The eatery also employs staff who can communicate in languages such as English and Burmese.
Although the ordering slips are printed only in Chinese, Mr Zhang said customers can match the serial numbers on the menu to those on the chit, or ask staff for assistance.
Stomp understands that building management at Vision Exchange oversees only common areas and does not have purview over how individual tenants present their menus.
There are currently no regulations governing how food and beverage establishments design their signage in Singapore.
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