Porridge stall owner showered with praise for seeking customer who paid $540 for $5.40 meal

SINGAPORE: The owner of a porridge stall in Westgate mall has drawn widespread praise from netizens after she launched a search for a customer who accidentally paid $540 for a $5.40 meal.

The incident took place on Tuesday (June 10) at around 2pm, at Mun Zuk, a well-loved local eatery. According to Mrs Tan, the stall’s owner, the customer had paid using PayNow — but instead of $5.40, he entered $540 into the transaction.

“This gentleman scanned our QR code for the PayNow transaction, keyed in the amount himself and left,” Mrs Tan shared in a Facebook post, “Our staff was busy during the time of the incident as it was lunch time.”

It wasn’t until after the lunch rush had passed that staff realised the massive overpayment. Alarmed, they began searching the mall for the customer but were unable to locate him. “We waited for him to come back, but he didn’t,” Mrs Tan said.

The eatery has since taken to social media in hopes of reaching the man and returning the excess $534.60. A CCTV image of the customer was shared in the post, along with a heartfelt message: “No questions asked — we just want to return the money to its rightful owner.”

The post quickly gained traction, with many commending Mun Zuk for its integrity. Comments flooded in, lauding the stall for its honesty and commitment to doing the right thing, even when they could have quietly kept the money.

In a time when businesses are struggling, Singaporeans said they are heartened to see such honesty. Some commenters were so impressed with Mrs Tan’s honesty that they vowed to visit Westgate just to support her stall.