Vendors charge 20 cents for extra bowls and plates due to higher dishwashing costs

SINGAPORE: Vendors at a hawker centre have posted notices stating that customers will have to pay an additional fee of 20 cents if they wish for extra bowls and plates. Some of the vendors interviewed said that dishwashing fees have increased, and these notices are intended to avoid such unnecessary cost increases. 

A reporter from Shin Min Daily News recently visited several hawker stalls in Bukit Canberra Hawker Centre and discovered that at least seven stalls had posted notices about the extra charge for additional bowls and plates. Some of the notices also warned diners not to take bowls and plates without permission. 

A Thai food stall owner admitted that after their contract was renewed last month, the dishwashing fee that the vendors need to pay to the management increased from S$6 to S$7 per box. The amount used for this usually depends on the stall’s sales, and it averages to one to two boxes per day. With this, the owner posted a notice at her stall that the first bowl was free, and the rest would cost 20 cents each. 

Furthermore, she shared that a customer once ordered one dish but requested multiple sets of bowls and chopsticks. She explained the situation to the customer and said that the tableware used at the stall is recorded in the system when customers place their orders.

Another stall posted a notice requesting diners not to take their bowls without permission. The owner said that she would usually provide extra bowls and plates to customers without extra charge, but she does not want them to take one without asking. 

One more vendor declared that his monthly dishwashing fee is more than S$500. He shared an experience when a female customer came to buy food, and her husband then came over to take the bowls and plates. The owner stated he got into a fight with the husband about the bowls and plates and called the police. 

Moreover, he also stated that he would not charge customers for one or two bowls or plates, but some customers insisted on paying.

The business owners interviewed said that the purpose of posting the notices was mainly to inform diners not to ask for extra bowls and plates in order to reduce unnecessary costs, but they do not actually enforce it. Indeed, according to reporters, most stalls at the hawker centre do not charge extra for bowls and plates.