A dash of kindness: Madi and wife Tuti sell roti canai from as low as RM1 at their stall in Kampung Pasir, Johor Baru, as they want to offer affordable meals to customers. — THOMAS YONG/The Star
DESPITE facing inflation, three food stall operators in Johor Baru are keeping prices of their dishes low to ease customers’ burden.
Patrons at a roti canai stall in Kampung Pasir can still enjoy hot drinks like coffee and teh tarik for only RM1 per cup.
Stall operator Madi Umar, 61, has maintained the price for many years because he knows that many are facing financial difficulties, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic.
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“The cost of living is getting higher and if I hike up my prices too, it will burden my customers.
“Some have been patronising my stall since young and they now bring their children along too.
“I want to provide cheap breakfast and lunch options for them,” he told StarMetro.
He runs the stall with the help of his wife Tuti Warni and a few relatives.
Because of the low prices offered, he cannot afford to hire workers so the stall operates on a self-service concept.
Besides cheap drinks, Madi sells roti canai kosong at 90sen a piece while the onion roti canai is priced at RM1 and roti canai telur costs RM1.50.
Madi Umar has maintained the price of hot drinks at his stall in Kampung Pasir at only RM1 per cup.
His customers are also free to ladle as much dhal gravy as they please to accompany the roti canai.In contrast, checks by StarMetro found other stalls selling roti canai kosong at RM1.50 and egg roti canai up to RM3.
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Madi said his roti canai kosong has been priced at 50sen for 19 years before adjusting the price to 90sen in July this year due to the soaring prices of items like wheat flour and cooking oil.
“After giving it some thought, I decided to increase my pricing to at least cover my operating costs, but I believe my food is still relatively cheaper compared to other eateries.
“Customer satisfaction is my priority and I rather earn a slimmer profit than burden them with an expensive meal.
“It is also a form of charity, my way of helping others,” said the father of three, adding that he sold up to 300 pieces of roti canai daily and even more on weekends.
Food stall owner S. Kalaiarasi, who started selling nasi lemak Kedah in Taman Tampoi Indah when the Covid-19 pandemic started in 2020, planned to maintain her base price of RM1 per packet.
The 38-year-old, who used to work in Singapore and owned a printing business, switched to selling food when her business was affected by the movement restrictions because of the pandemic.
“I am from Kedah, so I decided to sell Kedah style nasi lemak cooked with turmeric, hence its yellow.
“I want to provide cheap food to people whose incomes were affected by the pandemic and I intend to keep it that way,” she said.
After using social media platforms to promote her stall, Kalaiarasi said she noticed an increase in customers from as far as Kuala Lumpur and her sales went up to 200 packets daily.
Kalaiarasi sells Kedah-style nasi lemak in Taman Tampoi Indah from as low as RM1 per packet.
She said a packet of nasi lemak with egg and sambal was priced at RM1 while the vegetarian meal with beancurd costs RM1.50. Chicken, fish or prawn options were priced at RM2 each.
“My serving of nasi lemak with chicken used to be RM1.50 but I increased the price when chicken price went up, but I added more rice to each packet.
“I started out with only one makeshift tent and with the help of family members. Now, I have added one more tent to offer more variety such as masala tea at RM3.50 a cup,” said the mother of three.
In Taman Ungku Tun Aminah, a stall located within a restaurant along Jalan Perkasa 4 is offering a plate of chicken rice for as low as RM3.
Stall operator Chong Wu, 40, said empathy for the less fortunate was his reason for keeping prices low.
Chong Wu holding a plate of chicken rice which is priced at RM3 at his stall in Taman Ungku Tun Aminah. - THOMAS YONG/The Star
“When I first operated the stall about five years ago, a plate of chicken rice with cucumbers and sauce was only RM2.50 because there are many low-cost flats in the area.
“I also come from a humble home so I understand their struggles, especially of those who are working hard to feed their families, and I want to offer them affordable meals.
“When I increased my price by 50sen two months ago, some customers even told me to set the price higher because a plate of chicken rice could easily go for RM7 elsewhere,” he said.
Chong, who is assisted by his wife and another worker, added that most of his customers were regulars who had families.
Their day starts as early as 3am where they prepare the food, including roasting chicken and other meats in time for business from 6am to 3pm.
Chong said his char siew rice was also priced from RM3 each while a plate of roasted pork rice starts from RM4.
“We can sometimes sell up to 500 plates of rice on a good day and I think this shows that consumers are looking for cheap and affordable food.
“The satisfaction of seeing returning customers is enough to keep me going,” he said.
