SINGAPORE: Kaya Toast is a type of breakfast in Singapore that has long prided itself on being delicious and affordable. Ya Kun Kaya Toast is one of the most convenient places to get it. The chain is so well-known that it’s been featured as a destination on travel deal company Klook as part of the uniquely Singaporean experience. Breakfast at Ya Kun Kaya Toast has also been reviewed on TripAdvisor.
However, Ya Kun Kaya Toast was the subject of a Reddit thread that went viral on Wednesday (Dec 6) because prices at the chain appear to have gone up. “Yakun set A price increased by 12.5% from today onwards. Up 31% from Jan 2021,” the caption to the post reads. It includes a photo of the menu of Ya Kun Kaya Toast, which shows that Set A costs S$6.30.
Yakun set A price increased by 12.5% from today onwards. Up 31% from Jan2021.
byu/bumber123 inSingaporeRaw
The chain’s Set A is the simplest one—two slices of Kaya Toast with butter, two soft-boiled eggs, and a choice of a regular hot beverage, either a kopi or teh.
As of April 2022, the price of Set A was S$5.60. Before that, it was S$4.80, which is what u/bumber123, the Reddit user responsible for the post, is likely referring to. The price increase may be attributed to inflation, which has been felt around the globe over the past few years. This has been especially so since the Covid-19 pandemic and geopolitical tensions have escalated.
Nevertheless, commenters are not too pleased about higher food prices, which seem more common than ever in Singapore.
“Cost them less than $1.50 if they were to buy the ingredients at retail prices, so you can imagine at wholesale, even lower. Yea of course gotta factor in staff cost, overhead etc but goes to show their gross margin alone is pretty high. Just DIY tbh. I can make 3 sets at home,” one wrote.
Others argued that it’s not only the higher cost of food ingredients that may be driving the price increase but also rent, perhaps even more so.
Some suggested Fun Toast and Toast Box as alternatives to Ya Kun Kaya Toast if the commenters no longer want to patronize the chain.
The Independent Singapore has contacted Ya Kun Kaya Toast for further comment or update. /TISG