Singaporean diner says tray sorting is staff’s responsibility after being told to separate halal and non-halal trays

SINGAPORE: A disagreement over where to return food trays at a food court was shared online after a Singaporean shared that staff shouted at them when asked to segregate those trays for halal or non-halal. 

According to a Facebook post, an older male worker aggressively asked the netizen and her friend to place the trays in their designated areas, and the netizen’s friend responded sharply, stating that sorting trays was the staff’s responsibility.  

“So what is going on now? We customers pay for their salary!!!” the post further added. 

With this, many netizens shared their thoughts and opinions on what had happened. For some, the netizen and her friend sounded entitled, stating that it is not that difficult to put the trays back where it belongs. 

“No amount of money you have can ever buy you a single drop of class. Learn to cultivate a little shred of decency and dignity. Be kind and respectful of everyone around you,” a commenter declared. 

Furthermore, another comment claimed that there are rules to be followed and that there are signs posted that instruct customers where to put back their used trays. 

“You don’t pay for his salary directly, and his salary is more than picking up after you. Pay a few dollars for a meal and think you own people already,” a netizen remarked. 

However, some commenters acknowledged the fact that the older worker did not approach the diners in a polite manner. 

Another commented: “The uncle can choose to be polite, but he opted to shout. He pointed out correctly that you are supposed to return the tray to either halal or non-halal, as we live in a nation with 2 distinct groups.” 

One more comment concluded that it is an unofficial rule that if people buy from food stalls that sell halal food, it must be returned to the rack with the halal label. 

Other related news 

In similar news related to food stall complaints, there was a report where a diner raised hygiene concerns after claiming she saw a bird fly into a nasi lemak stall, peck at the cucumbers, and later watched the staff serve the same cucumbers to customers. 

Read more about the news story here.