Diner says zi char stall chased her away from vacant table at Bukit Batok coffeeshop, claiming they pay higher rental

SINGAPORE: A woman has raised concerns about table reservation practices at a coffeeshop in Bukit Batok, claiming that a zi char stall chased her and her young children away from a vacant table during lunchtime, claiming that they paid higher rental.

The incident took place on Saturday (Nov 15) at about 1 p.m. at Block 273, Bukit Batok East Avenue 4.

Speaking to Stomp, the diner said she had gone to the coffeeshop with her preschool-aged children when she noticed that several tables had been marked as “reserved” by the zi char stall.

“I would like to share my encounter and understand the truth about coffee shop stalls reserving tables even without customers’ reservations,” she said.

According to her, most of the tables available were already occupied, while the few empty ones were “very dirty.” Seeing no customers at the zi char section at the time, she decided to sit at one of the smaller reserved tables.

“Right after settling down with my small kids, the zi char stall auntie walked over to ask if we’re eating. I said, no, we’re not, and she immediately chased us off, exclaiming that those tables were reserved by them because they pay higher rental than others,” she recounted.

She shared photos with Stomp showing “reserved” signs placed on several tables. The diner questioned whether the stall had the right to reserve tables in a shared coffee shop space.

“I just want to clarify if it is indeed their right to reserve those tables. Do they actually need to pay rent to reserve those tables for themselves?” she asked.

“If they had indeed paid rental for those tables, it’s understandable that they chased us away. If they did not, it’s very selfish to reserve so many tables when the other tables around the coffee shop are occupied.

“People come and go when it’s lunchtime, while zi char stall customers usually come in the evening,” she added.

The woman said she hopes to understand whether such reservation practices are permitted in coffeeshops and if stall operators are allowed to cordon off tables for their exclusive use.