SINGAPORE: Last week, when a chef posted a photo on Instagram of a standee he had seen at the Kampung Glam Ramadan bazaar asking influencers to “be human first, influence later,” it received a lot of attention.
Christopher Tan Yu Wei (@thewayofkueh) wrote in the caption to his Feb 20 post that he had seen the standee at the Bussorah Street Ramadan Pasar entrance of the bazaar.
“Baik, semua!!” he wrote, along with four clapping hands emojis, which may be taken as an indication that he approved of the message in the sign.
Addressed to food influencers and reviewers, the message said that the food establishments “look to the character of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) for guidance,” as they serve customers.
“We pour our hearts into every dish, but we know tastes are personal. If a dish isn’t to your liking today, we kindly ask that you follow the Sunnah-spare the Public critique and speak to us privately. This allows us to fix the mistake and maintain the spirit of Barakah (blessing) in our food,” it reads.
It also invited reviewers to “remember the beauty of Husn al-Khuluq (Good Character),” saying that if they enjoyed the meal, they should share the joy they experienced, since their “kind words support our livelihood.”
However, if they were less than happy, the sign invited reviewers and influencers to tell eateries’ owners directly, as “Public criticism can hurt a small business, but a private word helps us grow.”
“We strive for perfection, but we are only human. If you feel inclined to leave a negative review, we humbly ask for the opportunity to make it right first,” it added.
While Mr Tan’s post has been liked thousands of times, some commenters disagreed, saying they would appreciate if a dish or meal was less than satisfying, especially if they had to fork over a chunk of their hard-earned money for it.
Others, however, expressed that they very much appreciated the message on the sign. One wrote, “‘Be human first, influence later.’ Kudos to whoever came out with this poster,” while another said that it was “very calming.”
On Sunday (March 1), it was revealed in an article in Shin Min Daily News that the person responsible for the sign is a man named Ali, who owns Tarik Cafe. He had put the sign outside his cafe after speaking with the market organisers about it.
Mr Ali, who has been in the business for the past 16 years, said that he had put the standee up to support new vendors, for whom a negative review may determine their future.
He added that they pay an expensive rental rate.
The Chinese daily also spoke with Said, who organised the bazaar. He said that almost half of the 109 stalls in the bazaar are new vendors.
If they do well, they will return next year, he added. /TISG
