'Barely covering rental': Netizen urges Westies to support ITE College West canteen stalls

The food and beverage industry has been hit badly by all the various dine-in restrictions and for some stalls located within campuses, the issue is exacerbated by home-based learning (HBL) arrangements.

Alarmed by the sight of an empty canteen at the Institute of Technical Education (ITE) College West, one netizen took to Facebook in hopes of making a positive impact.

On Monday (Oct 11), Wendy Choo snapped four photos of the canteen and uploaded a post on the Facebook group Hawker United - Dabao 2020. 

In under a day, Wendy's post received 3,200 shares and almost 300 comments.

In the post, she urged residents of Choa Chu Kang or those working in the vicinity to visit the school canteen and support these local businesses.

"Business has been badly affected as students are mainly having HBL," Wendy explained. 

While primary schools have recently returned to in-person classes after a period of HBL, ITE students are still alternating between HBL and in-person classes. 

Unfortunately, without the usual flow of students, some stallholders are "barely making to cover the rental", Wendy said.

Wendy claimed that the photos above were taken on the morning of her Facebook post. The canteen seems completely empty bar a couple of cleaners and stallholders.

In her post, she also vouched for the variety of food available at the canteen and mentioned how reasonable prices are. For example, a cup of kopi O or teh O will only set you back 50 cents.

A netizen wholly agreed, adding that the canteen's food is not only affordable but tasty too.

Others were wondering if they would be allowed to enter the school compound as some tertiary institutions such as Ngee Ann Polytechnic and Singapore Polytechnic have implemented restrictions on visitors as part of their safe management measures.  

Not to worry though — ITE College West is open to the public.

As Wendy's Facebook post continues to gather steam, let's hope it encourages more to step forward and support the canteen stallholders.

Do note that the canteen only operates on weekdays, from 8am to 3pm. Enter from the gate facing Teck Whye LRT station if you arrive after 10am, as the main entrance would be closed.

Address: 1 Choa Chu Kang Grove, Singapore 688236

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amierul@asiaone.com