'30-minute queue for drinks': One Punggol Hawker Centre patrons disgruntled by long lines at lone coffee stall

The thirst is real, and it's not just 'cos of the recent scorching weather.

Patrons at the new One Punggol Hawker Centre, which opened last October, are complaining about long queues of up to 30 minutes for drinks.

The snaking lines are especially evident on weekends and during peak dining times, as the sprawling 700-seat food centre has only one stall selling coffee and tea, Shin Min Daily News reported on Wednesday (May 3).

According to the Chinese daily, one disgruntled diner shared how simply standing in line can take up to one hour.

"30 minutes to queue for food, 30 minutes to queue for drinks," complained the netizen.

A Facebook user had also shared about the "queue situation" in a video posted last November, which showed about 18 people waiting in line. "[It's] considered short," responded one commenter. 

During a visit to the hawker centre on Tuesday, Shin Min reporters noted that among the 34 stalls, there is another stall in the food centre which only serves juices and canned drinks, while two other vending machines also dispense canned drinks.

One stallholder told Shin Min that the food centre typically attracts large crowds on Friday and over the weekend.

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At times, the queue for the drinks stall can be up to 50-persons deep, he said, describing how the extremely long line would snake in a "U-shape" pattern around the food centre.

A cleaner at the food centre attested to the long waiting times, claiming that even a relatively shorter queue with 20 people in line can take up to 10 minutes.

Another stallholder shared that during peak dining hours, some patrons would opt to buy their drinks from the vending machines. According to Shin Min, the canned drinks are priced from $1.40 to $1.50, with ice and straws provided for those who need them.

At the coffee stall, however, beverages are priced from $1.20 to $2.50. But patrons using the Timbre app for payment can get a 10 per cent discount, while those who use their own tumblers get 10 cents off the price of their drinks.

Reporters from Shin Min observed about six or seven staff manning the coffee stall. However, they noted that besides serving drinks, the stall also sells other items such as fried dough fritters and dim sum.

Also on staff? A robot barista. Yes, that one.

New drinks stall on the horizon

According to Shin Min, the hawker centre's management has said it is looking at opening a new drinks stall to alleviate the long wait during peak periods. It added that the new stall's menu would not completely overlap with what the current stalls are offering and that more details will be released at a later date.

The spokesperson also shared that the robot barista had been employed to ease the manpower crunch and raise productivity. 

And it has a name, too — 'Lim Ah Huat'.

'Lim' can work 365 days without rest and can brew about 150 cups of coffee or tea in an hour, shared the spokesperson.

The spokesperson stressed, however, that the robot barista isn't intended to replace human workers, but to bump up efficiency and speed, as well as to allow them to focus on providing better service to customers.

candicecai@asiaone.com