SINGAPORE: An increasing number of Singaporeans are expressing their dismay over what seems to be a surge in food prices at mixed rice stalls in food courts and hawker centres. In one of the more recent such cases, a diner said he was shocked to be charged more than $6 for a two-meat-one-veg mixed rice meal at the food court at Woodlands Interchange.
Facebook user Ggoo Lee recently took to the Complaint Singapore page to share their dissatisfaction with the prices and the behaviour of the mixed rice stall vendor at Woodlands Interchange. Lee had chosen only three ingredients with rice, but to his surprise, the total price amounted to a staggering $6.30.
Shocked, Lee inquired about the prices with the stall owner, who revealed that a single chicken wing cost $2.50, and the three meatballs were priced equally at $2.50. Lee said he found this price to be exorbitant and unjustifiable.
Apart from the high prices, the netizen also highlighted their disappointment with the vendor’s behaviour. He described the vendor as rude and needlessly loud towards customers, further souring his dining experience and leaving him dissatisfied with the overall service.
Asserting that the food price, in this case, was disproportionately high, given that a chicken wing typically costs around $1.50 at similar stalls elsewhere, Lee wrote:
“Won’t be going there eat already. Chicken wing at most $1.50 but this is too much. It’s not I cannot afford but the price is not reasonable!”
The rising food prices and unfavourable vendor behaviour have struck a chord with other netizens, who have commented on the post, expressing similar grievances and sharing their own experiences with escalating food costs at hawker centres and food courts across the city.
Exorbitant prices for what are considered simple mixed rice meals seem to be becoming the norm in Singapore instead of the exception. The unexpected price surge for seemingly simple items like a chicken wing has left many questioning the fairness and transparency of such pricing practices.
But hawkers are arguing that they must raise prices to cope with rising inflation and the increased costs they are forced to grapple with.
Nevertheless, it is clear that mixed rice dishes have gone from being one of the cheapest meals one could find at a hawker centre to one of the more expensive options.
In the not-too-long-ago past, Western food stalls and Pepper Lunch Express outlets were the most expensive options at most food courts but today, the price tag for most chicken chop dishes is friendlier to the wallets of food court patrons as compared to the cost of mixed rice fare at some food centres.