Laksa hawker in Chinatown slashes price to $2, thanks to donor who wanted to give affordable meals

With the help of an anonymous donor, one hawker at Chinatown Complex is now selling a bowl of Katong laksa for just $2 — half the usual price.

Bobby Lee, 71, a graduate of social enterprise Project Dignity, has been running The Asian Makanstall for the past eight years, reported Shin Min Daily News.

The stall has a rotating menu of dishes and started selling laksa — priced at $4 a bowl — about six months ago.

Three weeks ago, Lee slashed the price by half at the request of a customer who donated a sum of money to the stall.

"He said he hopes to let more people enjoy tasty and affordable food, especially the elderly or those in need," the hawker said.

He added that the customer frequently does charity work, including making donations to temples and elderly care homes. The donor prefers to keep his identity and contribution amount private, Lee said.

Since the price was cut, the hawker has been selling twice as many bowls of laksa daily and can even sell out all 60 bowls within an hour of opening, according to Shin Min.

Despite more diners patronising his stall, Lee said he is not profiting much from the sales.

He explained that the cost of raw ingredients for the laksa has spiked threefold, and he is using the donated sum to offset part of the cost.

However, most of the money has been spent and Lee estimated that the remaining amount will be used up in the next one or two weeks.

If there are no further donations, the price for a bowl of Katong laksa will revert to $4.

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lim.kewei@asiaone.com