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The fee was also to cover dishwashing and related costs, the owner said.
May 18, 2026, 12:01 PM
A diner made a complaint after she was allegedly charged an additional 30 cents for a small bowl from a stall in Lucky Plaza’s food court on May 8.
The woman, surnamed Ou (transliteration), had already ordered a S$13.50 meal of pig’s organ soup, a bowl of yam rice, and two side dishes from the stall to enjoy with her sister.
When her sister asked the stall for a small bowl, they told her she needed to pay an extra 30 cents, Ou told Shin Min Daily News.
The stall owner, however, told Shin Min the fee was 20 cents. He explained that it was to cover dishwashing costs and discourage abuse from diners.
The sisters decided not to get the bowl in the end.
“We ordered so much, it’s obviously not a meal for one, so getting an extra bowl is reasonable,” Ou said. “If we had known that this stall charges additional fees, we would not have eaten here.”
The stall owner explains
There were a few reasons for the additional fee, according to the stall owner.
He told Shin Min it was a means of cost control, as he was already selling pig’s organ soup at under S$5, cheaper than most other places where it costs S$7 to S$8.
He has been cautious about raising the price of his food, saying that he once raised prices by 10 cents and started losing nearly half of his customers.
The additional fee for bowls was thus his way of sustaining operations.
“Every stall has a different way of operating,” the owner said. “I hope customers can understand the cost pressures that stall vendors face.”
Concerned about abuse of service
The stall used to provide extra small bowls and even refills of soup for free about three years ago, the owner said.
At the time, some diners would repeatedly ask for small bowls, and some would keep asking for more soup to share with others, which the owner felt was not right.
He started to think about charging a fee for soup refills and extra bowls to prevent diners from abusing the service.
He added that only diners who ask for an extra bowl would be charged the additional fee, and his staff would explain to them that it helps to cover dishwashing and related costs.
According to him, there would be around two or three diners a day who would ask for an extra bowl, so it does not affect many people.
Others find it reasonable
A few other hawker stall owners told Shin Min they found the additional charge for extra bowls rather reasonable.
A man who owns a lamb soup stall in Hougang felt that way, saying that profits for hawkers are already low.
To diners, it might be just a small bowl, but to the hawker, it might mean paying more for dishwashing and utilities.
The man added that he personally decided not to provide extra small bowls at all, to avoid conflict with diners.
Another man, who owns a pork ribs and prawn noodles stall in Ang Mo Kio, said that it was up to each individual hawker to decide whether to impose such additional fees.
For himself, he has not often encountered customer requests for extra bowls, so he has not charged for them.
