‘When cheap comes, they forget about quality’: Chicken rice stall owner pushes back against $1.90 comparisons
The owner of a chicken rice stall has spoken out after some customers compared his prices to a $1.90 chicken rice stall in Ang Mo Kio, with a few even asking if he could lower his prices.
In a Facebook post on April 27, the owner of Poh Kee Chicken Rice said the stall has been serving freshly prepared chicken rice for more than 24 years at Block 206 Toa Payoh North.
However, he noted that some customers have recently drawn comparisons with a stall offering chicken rice at $1.90.
“This is how realistic the world is. When cheap comes, they forget about quality,” he wrote. He also replied to a comment, adding that some customers have asked that he lower his prices, assuming he was making significant profits at his current rates.
“We use the best of everything, but now kena compare with shops like these. Very sian...” he said.
In response to queries from Stomp, he said he was surprised by the comparisons.
One customer “asked me how they managed to sell so cheap. I told her I did not know, because I couldn’t equate using the same type of ingredients and chicken”, he said.
Another, he added, called him “a profiteer”.
“I was quite taken aback and hurt,” he said. “I have always been giving free things randomly to my regulars and using the best supplies. To be called a profiteer is quite demeaning.”
He explained that his current pricing reflects what the business can sustain, and that it is not always possible to match others.
“I cannot follow suit what others are doing, because I do not know their dynamics,” he said, adding that some businesses may secure lower costs from bulk purchasing.
‘You can’t satisfy everyone’: Netizens
The post has since garnered dozens of comments, with many netizens expressing support and offering advice to the owner.
“You can’t satisfy everyone,” one user wrote, adding that he should be contented with the existing regulars and customers who continue to support him.
Another said: “If they want the $1.90, let them take bus/MRT all the way there to eat.”
Some encouraged him not to be “disheartened”, with one pointing out that the stall serves the “best chicken rice at the most affordable pricing possible”.
“Ignore the naysayers sir and think positive always!” another comment read.
Costs rising amid broader pressures
In an earlier article by Shin Min Daily News on April 21, the owner, Fu Bao Gui (transliterated) was among hawkers who highlighted the pressure of rising costs amid the Middle East conflict.
Instead of raising prices, however, the 46-year-old introduced a tip box for customers to contribute voluntarily.
Mr Fu told Stomp: “Now everything is going up, we are getting quite tight,” he said. “We resorted to using a tip box because I did not want to increase our selling price.”
He had told Shin Min higher fuel costs have indirectly pushed up the cost of ingredients and deliveries, with total monthly expenses rising by about $500.
He also noted that ingredient costs alone amount to about $10,000 a month, with another $7,200 for rent and cleaning fees, bringing total monthly expenses to about $17,200.
The stall uses about 30 to 40 kilograms of chicken daily, he added, with transport costs going up by 10 to 20 cents per kilogram.
Despite this, he said he is reluctant to pass the additional costs on to customers, describing it as “unfair”.
The tip box, he explained, is meant to help offset rising operating costs, and he is grateful for any help. Once the Middle East conflict subsides, he said he would consider removing it.
When Shin Min visited the stall, however, they observed that the tip box contained less than $20 in notes and coins.
$1.90 stall relies on ‘high-volume sales’
In a separate report by Lianhe Zaobao on April 24, the owner of the Ang Mo Kio stall selling chicken rice for $1.90 said the business adopts a “low-margin, high-volume sales” model. It has no plans to raise prices and aims to keep meals affordable for customers.
The stall, Nguan Express 88 at Block 704 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 8, recently gained attention on social media for its low prices.
Owner Lin Yi Xing (transliterated), 43, told Lianhe Zaobao that profits per packet are low, but sales volume helps to sustain the business.
He acknowledged that overall costs have risen by about 30 per cent due to global pressures, including the Middle East conflict.
Packaging costs, such as takeaway containers, he said, have increased by at least 10 per cent. Diesel costs are “even worse”, he added, noting that they have risen from about $500 a month to between $800 and $900.
Mr Lin said that the stall mainly serves elderly residents in the neighbourhood, who make up more than half its customers.
The business has also expanded recently, with a new outlet at Block 156 Bukit Batok Street 11. Mr Lin says the stall is currently selling re thanmo 300 packets of $1.90 chicken rice daily.
A third outlet in Jurong West is also planned for June.
Editor’s note: This article was updated to include the owner’s response.
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