The owner of Huat Heng Fried Oyster has responded to criticism after a customer complained about the small portions at the Whampoa Makan Place stall.
On Monday (16 Sept), a Facebook user voiced his dissatisfaction in the Complaint Singapore group, claiming that the serving size of his S$5 oyster omelette looked like “leftovers”.
Source: Facebook
To emphasise his point, he placed a lighter next to the food in a photo, seemingly to highlight how meagre the portion was.
Source: Facebook
“I have no intention to boycott this outlet,” he clarified. “I strongly understand [F&B], I personally think [this] is too much.”
Some commenters sympathised, with one stating: “I have never understood the logic of raising cooked food prices and shrinking cooked food portions.”
Another echoed this sentiment, writing: “It does look pathetic.”
On the other hand, some sided with the hawker, noting that rental, utility, and labour costs also need to be considered when setting prices.
Shin Min Daily News recently visited the stall and spoke with the owner, who wished to remain anonymous.
She shared that Huat Heng Fried Oyster was founded by her father-in-law and has been in business for 50 years.
Reflecting on the incident, the hawker recalled the customer who had posted the complaint, saying that he returned to ask if the portion was truly worth S$5 before taking photos of the dish.
“He was drinking with five or six people at the time,” she recalled. “Naturally, such a small portion wouldn’t be enough to share among them.”
She went on to explain that the oyster omelettes are available in three sizes: S$5, S$8, and S$10.
The S$5 portion includes three oysters, while the S$8 portion comes with five to six oysters. The S$10 portion has eight to nine oysters.
She revealed that the S$5 option was specifically designed for elderly customers.
Since they typically have smaller appetites, giving them larger portions would likely result in waste.
“We haven’t raised prices in more than five years,” she added. “At one point, we considered removing the S$5 option, but my father-in-law insisted on keeping it.”
The hawker also noted that this was the first time she had received such a complaint since taking over the stall two years ago.
Two customers interviewed by Shin Min Daily News had differing opinions on the portion sizes.
Ms Xu (name transliterated from Chinese), 30, who was visiting the stall for the first time, mentioned that she usually pays around S$8 for oyster omelette elsewhere.
She agreed that the portion was indeed small, and the oysters were rather tiny.
In contrast, 55-year-old Ms Zhou (name transliterated from Chinese), a long-time regular at the stall, felt that the S$5 serving was just right.
“I don’t eat much, so if I bought a larger portion, I wouldn’t be able to finish it,” she said. “For those with bigger appetites, the S$8 or S$10 portions are always an option.”
Also read: ‘I swear I didn’t take a bite’: Woman amused by RM5.90 tau huay portion from JB eatery
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Featured image adapted from Complaint Singapore on Facebook and Eatbook.sg.
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