‘They’re not souvenirs.’ Hawker at ABC Brickworks says more can be done to stop utensil theft

SINGAPORE: Ray Chen, who opened Kine Burgers at ABC Brickworks Food Centre and Market just three months ago, went viral last month when he shone a light on a problem that hawkers have of people taking home their cutlery and tableware.

In a June 15 Instagram post, he shared a video of a whiteboard at his stall that read: “Dear customers, in the past 10 operating days, 41 forks and 10 plates have been stolen. As a small Singapore business promoting sustainability, we kindly request their return. Authorities will be involved soon. Thank you and God bless.”

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After media outlets wrote about the issue, Mr Chen further posted about what he termed a “nightmare” for Singapore’s elderly hawkers, calling it a betrayal of the people who work long hours to serve up delicious food, day after day.

“It’s not as though hawkers earn a lot,” Mr Chen told The Independent Singapore in a video interview earlier this week, when we caught up with him to ask him about the issue.

He told us that the thievery has slowed down somewhat, but then Kine Burgers has made the switch to disposable forks instead of the small, elegant silver ones they originally used. These became a favoured take-home item within the first week after the stall opened in April, and the square silver plates followed soon afterwards.

“People treat them as souvenirs,” he told us wryly.

When he reported the issue to the authorities, he was told there was not much that could be done. He was also advised to treat the vanishing forks and plates as part of the business’ operating expenses, as this is a longstanding problem, so he should get used to it.

Sometimes diners don’t necessarily mean to steal, Mr Chen added. An older hawker told him about a woman who did not buy food at his stall but asked to borrow utensils, saying she’d bring them back. She never did.

The police have told Mr Chen that it would be hard to identify the people who took home Kine’s and other hawkers’ utensils and plates, particularly since some of these items are quite small.

When asked whether the mindset that hawker centre utensils can be treated like souvenirs can change, Mr Chen says he believes so. Even something as simple as the police putting up posters can serve as both a deterrent and a reminder to people to leave cutlery and tableware in hawker centres.

He also feels that a few more CCTV cameras in place would be a big help as well.

This hawker life

That life can be difficult for hawkers can be hard for people to understand, unless they personally know some hawkers, he told TISG.

“People think we’re grumpy because we don’t stop to chat with customers. We work at least 12, 13 hours a day, and every minute we spend not working means less earnings for us,” the former pastry chef said, adding, “We are busy… constantly working.”

In addition, staffing is a constant challenge. Rental rates, fortunately, are still all right. Since Kine Burgers is currently under the National Environment Agency’s Incubation Stall Programme, his rent is discounted.

We asked the 38-year-old Mr Chen, who’s about to become a first-time father in the coming weeks, if he would ever encourage his child to follow in his footsteps as a hawker.

“Only if it’s her passion,” he said, “only if it’s what she wants.” /TISG

Read also: ‘Heartbreaking betrayal’ of elderly hawkers: Stallholder calls out plate and utensil theft at ABC Brickworks