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A barbecue restaurant recently received a complaint after charging customers S$0.50 for a set of utensils when dining in, Shin Min Daily News (SMDN) reported.

According to SMDN, a reader called their 24-hour hotline to share more about an incident that happened to her 26-year-old daughter on Nov. 6.

The caller said her daughter went to the restaurant along Prinsep Street for a meal with a colleague.

According to the receipt, they had been charged S$1 for two sets of chopsticks.

"The bill shows that a pair of chopsticks is 50 cents, the two of them had to pay an additional S$1 (for their chopsticks)," the caller said.

The daughter and her colleague were reportedly very surprised by the additional charge, but did not make a fuss as they had already finished their meal.

Considering lodging a report with CASE

When the caller's daughter went home and told her about it, they both felt troubled by this extra charge, as they thought restaurants would not usually charge diners for utensils when dining in.

The caller added that she thought the restaurant's charges were "ridiculous", and claimed that food places will usually provide utensils free of charge even for takeaways.

According to her, the restaurant provided a set of chopsticks, spoon, wet tissue and toothpick, and each item cannot be returned individually.

She opined that the restaurant's practice "forced" customers to pay for the utensils, and she is currently contemplating raising the issue to the Consumers Association of Singapore (CASE).

Wooden disposable chopsticks of a better quality

Speaking to SMDN, the person in charge of the barbecue restaurant said the restaurant specially imported wooden disposable chopsticks from China that are of higher quality compared to the previous disposable chopsticks being offered.

He added that the restaurant started providing customers utensils in a set since September, and confirmed that customers would have to pay S$0.50 for the set, which includes disposable chopsticks, a plastic spoon, wet tissue, and a toothpick.

According to him, the workers in the restaurant would explain to the customers if they had any queries, and the restaurant has not received any complaints so far.

He further said that the restaurant would let customers exchange their utensils free of charge if they dirtied or dropped their utensils.

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Top image via Shin Min Daily News & Google Streetview