UPDATE (20 May, 12.10pm): A Facebook post by MAT Western on 19 May clarified that business at the stall is currently good and that the hawker was crying in the video while sharing about his family instead. Since he doesn’t speak very good English, the hawker believes there may have been a misunderstanding in the video.
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After the pandemic affected many businesses badly, stories of generous patrons doing their part to help keep these shops open flooded social media pages and news sites. While their intentions are good, some may forget to check if help is needed at all.
A clip of a hawker’s interview with media personality Chef Bob resurfaced on Facebook recently, claiming that he needed help to keep his western stall in Bedok open.
His story went viral on social media. In turn, supportive patrons showed up in droves to buy all his food till they sold out.
However, the hawker has since come forward to clarify that contrary to popular belief, his business is actually doing well.
On 18 May, Chef Bob’s TikTok video was reposted on Facebook in hopes that patrons can help boost the Bedok hawker’s sales.
In the video clip, Chef Bob interviews the Muslim revert whom he says had left his executive chef job to earn ‘a halal living’.
Source: Facebook
Although business was relatively good, he apparently hasn’t taken any salary for 18 months.
However, since Chinese New Year this year, his business has taken a hit and is on a steady decline.
Source: Facebook
He shares that he has exhausted all means to pay off his debts owed to the landlord and suppliers.
Chef Bob calculated that the hawker would need to make S$1,700 a day for the next 10 days or S$17,000 in total to keep his business afloat.
Source: Facebook
The hawker has even contemplated getting loans from unlicensed moneylenders which Chef Bob pleads with him not to.
While it’s unclear when the video was recorded as it’s nowhere to be found on Chef Bob’s TikTok, it seemed to have an overwhelmingly positive impact.
A netizen posted an update on the Halal Cafe & Restaurants in Singapore Facebook page yesterday (19 May), claiming that the stall, called MAT Western, has received a significant boost in its business.
Source: Facebook
Patrons had allegedly come in droves to support the hawker and buy his food, so much so that everything sold out and they had to close for the day.
Following the surprising turnout and virality of the TikTok video repost, the hawker in question, Mr Umar Fabrice, took to MAT Western’s Facebook to explain the real situation.
Expressing his appreciation for the “overwhelming orders” and “kind support”, Mr Fabrice clarified that he had not been crying for sympathy. Rather, he was in tears after sharing an emotional matter about his mother, who recently visited him in Singapore.
Source: MAT Western on Facebook
And while he was facing some struggles, they were apparently pertaining to a separate business and not MAT Western. The stall is actually doing well.
Despite the confusion, he acknowledged Chef Bob’s good intentions and held no grudges. He even described Chef Bob as “a wonderful person with a kind soul”, who simply misunderstood some of his answers during their conversation.
Mr Fabrice went on to say that he doesn’t “speak very good English”, which might have caused the miscommunication.
All this aside, he hopes to still serve food to customers as it’s something he’s passionate about.
Whether the hawker stall is in need of more customers or not, we’re sure many people are now curious about its exciting menu.
If you’d like to patronise MAT Western sometime soon, here’s how you can get there:
MAT Western
Address: 122 Bedok North Street 2, Singapore 460122
Opening Hours: 1 pm – 9 pm (Sat-Thurs), 4pm – 9pm (Fri), Closed on Tuesdays
Closest MRT: Tanah Merah Station
If the rave reviews by TODAY are anything to go by, fans of authentic Italian pizzas and the typical Western fare will not be disappointed by their impressive menu.
While we’re relieved that MAT Western is still doing well, there’s no reason why the overwhelming support for the stall should cease.
Kudos to the hawker for his honesty in trying to explain the real situation.
Let’s hope that business will continue to be good for them in the long run.
Have news you must share? Get in touch with us via email at news@mustsharenews.com.
Featured image adapted from Facebook and Facebook.
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