Stall owner gently tells off primary school boy who throws money while ordering food
When a primary school boy threw a two-dollar note onto a counter while ordering food at a vegetarian stall in the school canteen, the stall owner did not hesitate to correct his behaviour.
And many netizens seemed to agree with the stall owner - a video of the interaction, posted on @veg.eng, had garnered over 1,500,000 views and 1,000 comments at press time.
The 27-year-old stall owner posts about his experiences running a stall at Mee Toh School, often detailing his interactions with students.
In the 50-second clip, the boy can be heard shouting his order before reaching the stall, while the owner attends to another student. He tells him not to shout as he continues serving the customer.
When his turn arrives, the boy throws the money down, repeating his order. The stall owner passes the money back to him, telling him: "Pass me properly."
The boy complies, handing the note to him.
"Of course, don't hold it against him," the on-screen caption reads.
The pair then chat briefly about the food as the stall owner serves him, and the exchange ends with both saying "Thank you".
"Respect is mutual, no hard feelings," the stall owner writes in the caption.
Netizens applaud stall owner
Many netizens commended the stall owner for correcting the boy's behaviour, with several recounting similar experiences.
"I love how you educate those kids on the spot," one netizen said, while others praised him for correcting the boy in a "firm yet gentle" manner.
Some pointed out that children tend to self-correct easily, instead of being defensive or offended.
Others lamented the loss of day-to-day interactions with stall owners as more schools adopt the central kitchen model.
"One of the many reasons schools need to keep this canteen culture," one netizen commented. "With pre-packed bentos, kids will not get the basic school experience and will struggle as they grow."
Schools to adopt central kitchen model in Jan 2026
Starting Jan 2026, 13 Singapore schools will be adopting a central kitchen meal model, where meals are prepared at a central kitchen before being delivered to schools. Students will then collect pre-ordered meals from automated dispensers.
The move comes amid a shortage in canteen vendors, with schools reporting high turnover rates for vendors.
Education Minister Chan Chun Sing has said that the model is a potential solution to ensure affordable, healthy, and quality food for students.
