Diner stunned by restaurant’s ‘insane’ price markup, says their Bee Hoon increased from $8.50 to $10.80

SINGAPORE: A diner shared on social media that when she went to eat at one of the White Restaurants (the Original Sembawang White Beehoon), she was taken aback by the steep price markup.

“The price markup was insane; e.g., the usual price of $8.50 for the bee hoon became S$10.80, not including GST and service charge.” she wrote on the r/askSingapore forum on Monday (Jan 27).

“Also, I was not informed of the price markup (no notice or any information); I was only given the menu. I found [out about the] price difference after making payment,” she added.

When the diner asked the staff about the price hike, she was told that the supplier had halted production, forcing the restaurant to source ingredients from different suppliers at higher costs.

The staff also told her that the price increase would remain effective for the 15-day Chinese New Year period.

“The markup began yesterday, so the price increase [lasts] for 18 days… If they said the increase would happen on CNY Eve and days 1-3, I’d understand, but what the heck, 18 days? It started 4 days before the actual CNY,” she wrote.

“I worked in F&B part-time last time, but I’ve never experienced this kind of BS, so is this normal?” she asked the community.

“Don’t patronise them in future”

In the discussion thread, some Singaporean Redditors mentioned that price increases during Chinese New Year weren’t uncommon. However, they felt the increase was excessive and unfair in this case. They also advised the diner not to return to the restaurant.

“Not normal. Don’t patronise them in future, they are overrated anyway,” one Redditor said. 

“It’s just a money grab that turns me off from businesses that do this. If you want to close during CNY, then close. Don’t piss off your customers,” another commented.

Still, a few defended the establishment, with one Redditor saying, “I work in F&B. Most local suppliers stop working for a maximum of three days, but the true reason is that suppliers will also increase prices on ingredients such as fresh fish and seafood because imports, especially from China, will pause for much longer (a few weeks) as their holiday there is much longer.”

CASE urges business owners to be transparent about price hikes

As reported by CNA, the Consumers Association of Singapore (CASE) received nine complaints last year about unexpected surcharges, a rise from four in 2022 and six in 2023. 

These complaints mainly involved services like car washes, haircuts, and manicures. Before paying for the services, consumers were not informed of additional charges, sometimes as high as 30%.

In light of these complaints, CASE has called on businesses to be transparent about any price hikes during the festive season.

Read also: Singaporean shocked by car wash price increase from $11 to $18; asks, ‘Is this the norm during CNY?’

Featured image by Depositphotos (for illustration purposes only)