SINGAPORE: Following news of higher prices for kaya toast sets, the majority of Singaporeans who participated in a poll said that they would only pay between S$3 and S$4 for a kaya toast set.
On Aug 22, photos of a menu reportedly from Toast Box, a popular food and beverage chain, appeared online.
In one photo shared on Reddit, a user on the platform wrote, “Toast Box set now costs $7.40. Ridiculous.”
A few days later, another Reddit user shared a photo, allegedly from the Marina Bay Sands outlet of Toast Box, that showed a kaya toast set that cost S$8.20.
The set usually has traditional kaya toast with two medium-boiled eggs and a medium coffee or tea.
In response to queries from The Independent Singapore, a Toast Box representative confirmed that its pricing is influenced by a number of factors, including rental expenses, ingredients, and operational costs.
The company added that these vary based on the location of their outlets, and added that Toast Box “deeply values” its customers and appreciates “their continued support and understanding”.
Read related: $7.40 for kaya toast set deemed “ridiculous” by Singaporeans online
In January, 8days pointed out in an article comparing kaya butter toast sets in five cafes in Jurong that Toast Box and Ya Kun Kaya Toast were the only eateries that offered kaya butter toast sets priced above S$6.
Many Singaporeans appear to believe that these prices are too high.
In a survey from answers.sg whose results were posted in MustShareNews, 87.6 per cent of respondents set the price cap for kaya toast at S$5.
In answer to the question, how much would you pay for a kaya toast set
- 59.8 per cent said they would pay between S$3 and S$4
- 27.8 per cent said they would pay between S$4 and S$5
- 8.2 per cent said they would pay between S$5 and S$6
- 4.2 per cent said they would pay between S$6 and S$8.
In December 2023, a shocked Reddit user showed how the prices at Ya Kun Kaya Toast had gone up by a whopping 31 per cent from January 2021.
At that time, Ya Kun Kaya Toast Set A, the chain’s simplest set meal, cost S$4.80. As of April 2022, the price of Set A had gone up to S$5.60, and by December 2023, to S$6.30. /TISG
Read also: S$8.20 for kaya toast set? — Netizen shocked at price, but Singaporeans tell him it’s normal at MBS