SINGAPORE: After a young hawker shone a light on the problem of tableware getting stolen from his stall, he went on to say that this is a bigger problem that he called a “heartbreaking betrayal” of Singapore’s elderly hawkers.
“These hardworking elderly hawkers, some in their 70s and 80s, pour their hearts into serving us, and this is how they’re repaid?” he wrote, adding a broken heart emoji.
Ray Chen, the man behind Kine, a new burger stall at ABC Brickworks Food Centre, featured in a recent video on Instagram a whiteboard at the stall where he had written that 10 plates and 41 forks had gone missing from the stall.
@kineburgers #stopstealingfromhawkers #kine #KineBurgers #ai #aidesign #LactoseFree #BurgerLovers #HealthyGut #SGHawkerLife #BurgerSquad #hawkerculture #burger #abchawker #hawker #newhawker #sgfoodie #foodietiktok #singapore #openingsoon #burgersg #entrepreneur #michellin
“As a small Singapore business promoting sustainability, we kindly request their return,” the sign also read, adding that authorities would be called in soon.
Kine uses stainless steel cutlery, as well as a unique square steel plate, which might explain the attraction to would-be petty thieves. Nevertheless, that they’ve gone missing is an obvious and understandable problem for Mr Chen and the staff of Kine.
“Can anyone out there please help us?” he inscribed on the video. He also added a number of hashtags to the post, including #Stopstealingfromhawkers and #SGHawkerLife.
In a follow-up post a few days later, after the issue was covered by Mothership, Mr Chen further characterised the issue as Kine’s nightmare. However, he also showed that the problem is bigger than what the post had first let on, as his stall is not the only one being victimised by the thievery. It seems that customers are stealing tableware from elderly hawkers.
“Our beloved utensils are vanishing faster than a plate of char kway teow at lunch rush, and it’s not just a clumsy misplacement—customers are straight-up swiping spoons, forks, and chopsticks like they’re collecting souvenirs!
Mr Chen wrote further, “From sneaky diners pocketing cutlery to bold thieves stealing plates, it’s a heartbreaking betrayal. Have you seen this happen at your local hawker centre?”
Indeed, it is by no means a new problem. In August 2022, 8world News wrote that stallholders at Block 85 Market and Food Centre in Bedok had been noticing that many of their cutlery and bowls had been going missing. While one hawker said that 10 to 20 bowls were disappearing daily, for a total of 300 to 400 that year, another said that chopsticks and spoons were also disappearing. She added that she had taken to giving disposable cutlery to customers whose seating was further away, in the hopes of cutting down the number of cutlery items that would get stolen.
Commenters on Kine’s post have been very sympathetic, with some offering suggestions as to how the situation can be remedied.
“Maybe you can consider selling the forks and plates, since there’s a demand. Or treat it as a form of marketing, have your number engraved on those items,” wrote one.
“I think there is a reason why such plates and utensils should not be provided in hawker centres,” chimed in another.
One wondered if the issue is a “blessing in disguise,” since it has helped draw attention to Kine, which just opened in April and has since gotten very positive reviews online, not only for its healthier burger alternatives, but also for its price points, which many have found to be reasonable.
The Independent Singapore has reached out to Kine for further comments or updates. /TISG
