The current inflationary landscape worldwide means that even the prices at many of our favourite hawker stalls are on the rise.
Despite the price pressures, some hawkers continue resisting price hikes so their food remains affordable for customers.
One such stall in Queenstown has reportedly been serving S$2 char siew and roast pork rice for nearly four decades.
Despite having to sacrifice to make the system work, the stall owners say it’s worth it as long as they’re helping fellow Singaporeans in need.
For the past 37 years, Lu Weiliang (transliterated from Chinese) and his wife, Huang Meifeng, have kept Leong Wei Roasted Delight up and running. Together, they sell both char siew and roast pork rice from just S$2.
Originally located at Block 322 Hougang Avenue 5, the stall is currently situated in Holland Drive Food Centre.
Speaking to Shin Min Daily News, the couple revealed their preference of gaining small profits from selling more food at low prices.
In addition, Mrs Huang said they wanted to keep meals affordable for their customers, most of whom are regulars.
As financial pressure continues to intensify, the couple hopes to help those who patronise their stall.
The decision does come at a cost, though, as the couple admitted that they do not employ any assistants — hiring helpers would cause prices to increase, something they want to avoid.
“If we ask people to help, the cost will increase, and it will be impossible to maintain S$2,” Mrs Huang said.
Despite the couple’s best efforts at keeping prices affordable, they are also unable to escape the current situation of inflating costs.
Mrs Huang said that even though their char siew and roast pork rice remain at S$2, they had no choice but to increase the price of their roast duck rice from S$2.50 to S$3 earlier in February.
Additionally, the hawkers also had to stop selling chicken rice given the rising costs of the poultry.
Speaking to Shin Min Daily News, the couple said their children have enough money to support them and have even offered to do so.
However, both Mrs Huang and her husband decided to continue managing the stall to earn a bit of money and assist their regulars as well.
For more information about the stall and food they’re selling, check out this article.
The ongoing economic situation is bad enough, let alone having to deal with the increasing prices of essential prices like our daily meals.
With these conditions in mind, it is plenty admirable of these hawkers to assist their customers and keep prices affordable.
We applaud them for their efforts and hope other stall owners will follow in their footsteps.
Have news you must share? Get in touch with us via email at news@mustsharenews.com.
Featured image adapted from Google Maps and Shin Min Daily News.
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