SINGAPORE: A diner was probably shocked at the price he was charged for breakfast and took to social media to post about it.
On Monday (Oct 14), a post on the Complaint Singapore Facebook page revealed that 麦达铨 shared a photo of his breakfast from Old Chang Kee, writing the price of his order made him wonder if it was normal.
麦达铨 wrote that he paid S$8.20 for an order of bee hoon, a chicken wing, a curry puff, and coffee. “Is this considered the normal price for breakfast?” he asked.
A quick check online of Old Chang Kee’s prices, reportedly from this year, says that the restaurant’s bee hoon costs between S$1.70 and S$2.70, an order of chicken wing is S$2.00, a curry puff, which the eatery is perhaps most famous for, is S$1.80 or S$2.00, and coffee is from S$170 to S$2.10.
Therefore, the total that 麦达铨 posted pretty much tracks. However, whether spending S$8.20 just for breakfast is another matter.
A study from the Institute of Policy Studies (IPS) in 2023, “The Cost of Eating Out: Findings from the Makan Index 2.0,” showed that Singaporeans need at least $16.89 for breakfast, lunch, and dinner in different establishments, including kopitiams, food courts, and hawker centres.
In these eateries, breakfast costs S$$4.81 on average, with the least expensive breakfast set Singaporeans can get, costing an average of S$3.25. The most expensive is kopi with wanton noodles, which costs an average of $5.32.
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In 麦达铨’s case, because his noodle meal came with a beverage and extras, S$8.20 may not be too off the mark.
However, netizens had mixed reactions, with some saying S$8.20 seemed reasonable and others seeming to find it too expensive.
One said he was just “paying for the branding,” while another said the amount was “more than enough for lunch.” Another netizen called it “extremely expensive.”
“If a breakfast is 8.20, 3 meals away, I’ll be at least 30 bucks, and that’s 900 bucks a month,” a commenter wrote.
The Independent Singapore has reached out to 麦达铨 and to Old Chang Kee for further comments or updates. /TISG
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