'Go for people who use tongs': 'Cai fan' stall owner explains how to get more on your plate

We may not be able to control the prices of the 'cai fan' stall below our HDB block, but we can certainly make the most of it.

There are a few tricks to getting more on your plate while paying the same price, according to a 'cai fan' stall owner interviewed by CNA in their latest episode of Talking Point uploaded to YouTube on Tuesday (Nov 14).

Javier Ng, who owns three Gu Zhao Wei 'cai fan' branches across Singapore, shared with CNA that one surefire hack to get more food is to approach stall employees with a smile.

"You should smile and be friendly because sometimes we understand you're having a bad day - we could also be having a bad day, and this might slightly affect the portion that we serve you," said the 33-year-old.

"Secondly, you might want to go for people who use tongs to serve you food, rather than the ladle," he continued.

This is because when stall employees pinch food with the tongs, they won't pinch enough in one go, and might grab more for you in a second scoop.

With a ladle or serving spoon, one scoop equals one serving, he explained. 

Another method to consider is to separate your rice from your side dishes - doing so will make your plate seem a little emptier and may make the employee dish out more for you, Ng also said.

Customers may also find more bang for their buck with some dishes, such as the sweet and sour pork or items with mixed vegetables.

Pricey 'cai fan' usually in malls

But even with these hacks to getting value for money, it's no secret that 'cai fan' prices vary by quite a bit based on multiple factors.

According to researcher Teo Kay Key from the Institute of Policy Studies (IPS), 'cai fan' prices for "two veg, one meat" meals range from $2.20 to $5.70 across over 500 stalls in 26 neighbourhoods.

This range applies even to singular neighbourhoods, with Kallang holding both the highest and lowest prices for 'cai fan'.

In Kallang, stalls catering to HDB dwellers typically charge lower prices compared to those targeted at the office crowd, Teo explained. 

The overall prices of 'cai fan' are affected by many things, including the stall's rent, costs of ingredients, alternative food options in the area or even how long the stall has been serving customers there.

Those that have remained in older coffee shops for a long time "do charge much lower most of the time because they know their customers better, so they're less likely to increase by a drastic amount", Teo said.

As for instances where 'cai fan' prices get ridiculous, Teo shared that these would most often be found at areas with high footfall, or in downtown malls.

Teo was part of a research team that collected data on the costs of food items and meals at hawker centres, kopitiams and foodcourts from September to November 2022, and January to February 2023.

It is the second time that the IPS is doing a study on food prices here, to come up with what it has called the Makan Index 2.0. The last study was published in 2017.

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Ambiguity in prices could also be a result of changing hands in 'cai fan' stalls, CNA reported.

With some stalls selling around 40 different dishes with varying pricing even within the same dish, it's natural that newer employees might not be familiar with how dishes are priced.

Renee Lim, owner of Wang Economic Rice, told CNA: "If it's a new employee, sometimes they don't know the prices… for new employees, they sometimes do calculate it wrongly."

'Cai fan' prices should be clear and accurate: CASE

The Consumers Association of Singapore (Case) told AsiaOne that they have received 11 complaints regarding 'cai fan' prices from Jan 1 to Oct 17 this year.

Case president Melvin Yong shared that consumers typically complained about unclear and inconsistent pricing at 'cai fan' stalls, with some claiming that they were charged different prices from what was displayed.

Others also said that they paid more for their meals compared to others.

Case added that the prices displayed at stalls ought to be clear and accurate, and that economy rice stall operators should charge customers accordingly.

If customers raise doubts on prices, vendors should clearly inform them of their charges and only sell dishes after customers agree on the prices, Yong said.

ALSO READ: Diner at Toa Payoh food court puzzled by $7.20 'cai fan', says stall staff labelled chicken cutlet as 'fish'

khooyihang@asiaone.com