City Plaza noodle stall explains why it charges for takeaway even if customers bring own container

It is now common practice for food stalls to charge extra for takeaways.

But even when you provide your own food container?

This is the case at the Poon Nah City Home Made Noodle stall in City Plaza in Geylang.

Stomp contributor KT shared a photo of a sign at the stall informing customers that they have to pay an additional 50 cents for takeaway and this includes customers with "self-brought container".

"Why is there a need to pay 50 cents when we bring our own container?" asked the Stomp contributor.

"This is not fair."

In response to a Stomp query, a spokesperson for Poon Nah City Home Made Noodle said: "First, I do understand that customer do bring their own container for take away and we should recycle and save the world.

"But I hope you understand that for the F&B business, it is quite hard for us actually."

She explained with a real-life example: "When 10 customers bring their own containers, we do get mixed up and our kitchen space is very small. And we wash the containers before pouring the food in.

"For the packet of chilli we provide, there is also a cost to it."

But she does not mean to discourage customers from reducing waste.

"I just hope that they understand the charges that we have. There are customer who do still bring their own containers and after we explain, they do accept it too."

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This article was first published in Stomp. Permission required for reproduction.