Fair or not? Man pays 10 cents for takeaway cup when dining in

Who should bear the extra costs?

A man had to pay $0.10 for a takeaway cup even though he was dining in at a Bugis eatery, which was unable to provide regular cups due to a faulty sink.

Stomp contributor Roy said the incident occurred at Ah Lim Mee Pok at Bugis MRT station on Wednesday (May 3), at around 11.45am.

He had ordered a mee pok set, which included a beverage for $1, for a total of $7.80. However, he was charged an additional ten cents for the drink's takeaway cup.

Roy told Stomp: "I am disappointed and sad that the shop charged me for a takeaway cup due to the fact that they were unable to provide a cup for me to dine in.

"I believe they were using a dishwashing machine or the tap was spoiled, so they were unable to wash at the washing point and had to use paper cups.

"I overheard two other customers beside me complaining about being charged for the takeaway cups too.

"I did not contest the extra charge so as to enjoy my meal happily. But it is unfair and not correct to apply charges to the customer if the shop is the one that is unable to provide the dine-in cup.

"If they cannot provide the bowl for the noodles, does that mean that I have to pay for the takeaway container to dine in too?"

However, the shop has provided more context to the incident.

When contacted by Stomp, a spokesman for Ah Lim Mee Pok said: "We had informed customers that day to top up 10 cents for a takeaway cup as our sink was faulty.

"The coffee was still the set meal price of $1, with $0.10 for the takeaway cup.

"The usual price for takeaway coffee is actually $1.50 and you get more coffee in the takeaway cup.

"The customer also agreed to it."

When asked to specify how much more coffee the diner was actually getting, the spokesman shared a photo showing that the takeaway cup has a larger volume.

The spokesman added: "We already asked the customers in advance if this was okay. We only go ahead if they say it is okay.

"Sometimes people just like to complain. That's us Singaporeans."

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