The opening of One Punggol Hawker Centre has injected much buzz into north-eastern Singapore, with Punggol residents now able to enjoy a wide variety of food in their estate.
Now, dining there has become more attractive as customers get a 10% discount when they pay via the Timbre app.
That means cashless payment is also required.
While One Punggol Hawker Centre has been in operation since late last year, they officially opened on Saturday (25 Mar).
Some Singaporeans might not know that the Timbre Group operates the 700-seat hawker centre.
The good thing about this is that the company is offering 10% off at all 34 stalls there with the Timbre app.
You only need to download the free Timbre app from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store to get the discount.
Following the step-by-step instructions in the app, users will first need to sign up and top up their credits in the app.
The minimum top-up amount is S$5, and the maximum is S$100 per transaction.
After topping up the app, users can order from stalls at One Punggol Hawker Centre and scan their respective QR codes to make payment cashlessly after viewing their order.
Customers can check out the Timbre app website for a guide and more.
While the 10% discount will undoubtedly attract customers, it may not be totally good news for the stalls.
That’s because the discount is borne by the stall owners, reported Lianhe Zaobao.
Rojak stallholder Liang Guowei (transliterated from Mandarin) told the paper that initially, he thought this would lead to a slight reduction in his income.
However, it will attract more customers in the long run, the 40-year-old felt.
He estimated that an average of 15% of his daily customers use mobile apps to pay.
Mr Shen Weixiang (transliterated from Mandarin), who runs a tang yuan stall there, said “quite a lot” of customers use mobile apps to pay, especially young people.
Though he has to bear the 10% discount out of his own pocket, he regards it as a case of small profit, but quick turnover.
“Some customers will also patronise us because of the discount,” he added.
Besides the 10% app discount, One Punggol Hawker Centre has another draw for those watching their food expenditure.
Every stall has at least one affordable meal that costs S$4 or less.
Punggol resident Wu Shouhan (transliterated from Mandarin) told Zaobao that the new hawker centre appeals to the public due to its reasonable prices, which are cheaper than those at surrounding eateries.
The 43-year-old engineer said, however, that the food is pricer than that of hawker centres in estates like Bedok and Toa Payoh.
But it’s “still affordable”, he added.
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Featured image adapted from Shin Min Daily News on Facebook and Janil Puthucheary on Facebook.
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