Value meal: Seow packing chicken rice at his stall. — THOMAS YONG/The Star
JOHOR BARU: Customers have been making a beeline for cheap food at a hawker stall here that has been selling three plates of chicken rice for RM10.
Hawker Sam Seow said he decided to sell the dish at a bargain as he understood that many people were having financial difficulties.
“I had a similar offer last year and decided to do it again this year because I want to let people enjoy a proper meal without having to break the bank.
“I began offering the three-for-RM10 deal on Oct 1 and so far, the response has been good, with a queue forming at around 11am,” said the 58-year-old when met at his stall in a restaurant at Permas Jaya.
Seow said he works alone, which allows him to save on workers’ wages. He starts his day at 4am to prepare his ingredients.
He opens his stall at 10am daily and can sell more than 100 portions a day.
“I noticed many new faces at my stall lately; some even thanked me for selling the dish at a cheap price.” said Seow, who has been selling chicken rice for more than 22 years.
Customer Tan Hock Lai, 60, said he found out about the stall on social media and decided to pay it a visit.
“I actually visited the stall two days ago at around 1pm but everything was already sold out, so I decided to try my luck by coming earlier this time.
“The stall owner was friendly and even allowed customers to choose their desired chicken parts,” said the retiree.
Tan added that he enjoyed looking for cheap food in and around Johor Baru.
Another customer, housewife Cindy Hong, 48, said cheap food was hard to come by these days as the price of raw materials and ingredients have all gone up.
“I am surprised that the hawker does not skimp on the portion despite the low price.
“A plate of chicken rice like this usually costs about RM6.
“I know a stall in Taman Megah Ria that used to sell chicken rice at RM4 but the owner has increased the price recently,” she added.
