A business in Ang Mo Kio, Singapore, is selling soy sauce chicken rice and roasted chicken rice for S$1.90 (about RM5.9), with nearly 1,000 portions sold daily. When interviewed, the stall owner said he focuses on small profits with high sales volume, has no plans to raise prices, and hopes more people can have a filling meal at affordable prices.
Nguan Express 88 Chicken Rice Stall at Block 704 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 8 has recently gone viral on social media. Netizens are not only discussing the price of the chicken rice, but are also curious about how the owner maintains the price and whether there are plans to increase it in the future.
Stall owner Lin Yixing (43) told Lianhe Zaobao during an interview that there are no plans to raise prices. "To be honest, we don’t make much profit from each packet of chicken rice, but our strategy is small profits and high volume, so we have no intention to raise prices."
The Middle East situation has caused prices to soar. Lin Yixing frankly admitted that their overall costs have increased by 30%. "For example, the plastic bags needed for takeaways have increased by at least 10%. Our truck's diesel costs, needless to say, used to be over S$500 a month (about RM1553), now it's S$800 to S$900 (about RM2485 to RM2796)."
However, according to Lin Yixing, the main shareholder of the company is in the frozen meat import and export business. In addition, there are importers who directly supply chicken, and a central kitchen has been set up, so costs can still be controlled.
"Most of the residents around our store are elderly people, and they make up more than half of our customer base. So we won’t raise prices, we hope they can continue to have a hearty meal at an affordable price."
He also said that this month they just opened another outlet at Block 156, Bukit Batok Street 11 Market. "Although it’s only recently opened, we’re already selling more than 300 packs of S$1.90 chicken rice daily. We are also preparing to open another outlet in Jurong West in June."
Most of the interviewed customers commented that the portion size of the chicken rice is sufficient and tastes good—with the main draw being the affordable price.
Xu Yongle (71), a retired resident nearby, said he buys takeaway chicken rice from this shop at least two or three times a week. "The taste is really good, and the chicken meat is not tough. My family likes it too. Sometimes we buy a whole chicken to share at home."
Vikram (29), who works at a construction site nearby, said that although the chicken portion is a bit small, at least there's a generous serving of rice. "At this price, it’s really value for money. These days, a plate of chicken rice outside starts at at least S$3 (about RM9.32), so I’m grateful the shop continues to sell chicken rice at this price."
NTU student Wang Yonghao (18) said he didn’t believe it at first when his friend said there was S$1.90 chicken rice. "My friends and I all like this shop. Even with extra rice and extra meat, it doesn't exceed S$5 (about RM15.53), and we can eat our fill."