Diner accuses Clementi hawker of snatching back extra bowl after she refuses to pay $0.50 for it

Is it justified to charge a fee for additional cutlery?

A diner said she was shocked when asked to pay $0.50 for an extra bowl – and even more appalled when she declined and the stall vendor allegedly snatched the bowl back.

Stomp contributor Josephine said she visited the West Coast Market Square stall, located at Block 726 Clementi West Street 2, at around 12pm on May 25.

She recounted: "I ordered a plate of hor fun and asked the stall uncle to add additional kway teow. He told me that it would be an additional $0.50 and I said okay.

"The total was $5, which I gave him after he was done cooking the hor fun.

"Then, I asked the uncle if I could have a small bowl for two-year-old daughter to eat from and was told that this would cost another $0.50.

"I was shocked that a bowl has a $0.50 charge. This is the very first time I have encountered a hawker or market stall needing to charge money for just a small bowl.

"Where got such thing? It's really ridiculous."

Josephine said she decided not to take the bowl and told the stall vendor that she did not need it.

She added: "The uncle was very rude and snatched back the bowl from me."

This is not the first time a stall has come under fire for imposing fees on extra cutlery, however.

Last year, a dessert stall at Marine Parade Food Centre perplexed patrons when it charged $2.60 for an extra bowl.

An employee explained: "We calculate our daily sales by looking at the number of used bowls."

She also said the stall used to lose two to three bowls every day as some customers did not return them after finishing their desserts.

Separately, a stall owner at 628 Ang Mo Kio Food Centre drew criticism when he started charging $0.10 for every extra plate or bowl that diners requested.

However, he noted that he did not adjust his menu prices after renovations at the hawker centre, unlike some stalls.

ALSO READ: Limited stock: Hawker explains why bak kut teh soup not given free to every patron following complaint

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