$2.50 'cai fan' and 50-cent coffee: Queenstown coffee shop draws queues with budget meal options

With the increase in food prices, finding cheap yet filling meals has become a somewhat challenging task.

One Queenstown coffee shop, however, is bucking the trend with seven out of eight stalls there offering a variety of budget meal options including chicken cutlet fried rice and a 'cai fan' set meal costing just $2.50 apiece.

And to add to that, a cup of Kopi O or Teh O from the drinks stall there that would set one back by just 50 cents.

Yang, who runs the drinks stall in Food Hub located at 40 Margaret Drive, told 8world that stalls at the coffee shop began offering the budget meals since its opening in April 2023.

Her stall sells an average of over 200 cups of coffee and over 50 cups of tea every morning, all thanks to the low prices. 

The 50-cent drinks are mainly bought by the elderly and make up some 30 per cent to 40 per cent of her daily sales, she said. 

An employee of the noodle stall, surnamed Chen, told 8world that many elderlies live in the surrounding residential estate, and about 60 to 70 per cent of the stall's customers would choose to purchase their $2.50 fish ball kway teow soup.

Chen added that the serving amount is just right for the elderly, children, or those with a smaller appetite.

"The purpose of launching these budget meals is not to make money, but to essentially give back to the society while also promoting the reduction of food waste."

One diner told 8world that he would make a 30-minute journey on foot to visit the coffee shop two to three times a week as there are no budget meal options near his home in Redhill.

Two diners aged 76 and 80 also told the Chinese media outlet that the budget meals taste good, and the portion is sufficient to fill their bellies.

Another 80-year-old diner who purchased the $2.50 kway teow soup added: "We have retired and are living off our savings, so we should be thrifty sometimes."

Decent portion of 'cai fan' budget meal

When AsiaOne visited the coffee shop on Thursday noon (Jan 18), most of the patrons were working adults and the elderly, although most seniors were spotted with just a cup of coffee or tea in hand.

A diner AsiaOne spoke to, who declined to be named, thought the initiative would greatly benefit the elderly and the needy.

An employee of the vegetarian stall, who only wanted to be known as Fisher, told AsiaOne that they sell approximately 10 sets of budget meals every day, and that most of those who opt for the $2.50 meals are the elderly.

We decided to purchase the $2.50 'cai fan' set meal, which consists of tofu, cabbage as well as sweet and sour pork.

Despite being unable to choose specific dishes for this set, we found that the portion given was comparable to what one would get at the average 'cai fan' stalls which would typically charge around $3.50 for such a combination. 

A quick check by AsiaOne also found that the budget meal options available at Food Hub have been listed on the BudgetMealGoWhere website. The website allows residents to locate cheaper food and drinks options costing $3.50 or less.

Since its launch on May 19, 2023, the site has received 300,000 unique visitors, reported The Straits Times earlier this week. 

The number of HDB coffee shops that must offer budget meals as part of their lease agreements has also increased from 40 in May 2023, to the current 130.

There are 776 coffee shops in Singapore, of which 402 are privately owned, according to the report.

Members of the public can now submit recommendations for budget meals under a new initiative called the Great Budget Meal Hunt, which was officially launched on Jan 16.

ALSO READ: Telok Blangah coffee shop stallholder rallies fellow hawkers to offer $2 budget meals to curb low footfall

lim.kewei@asiaone.com