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A chicken rice hawker stall at Block 16 Bedok South Market & Food Centre has been accused of upselling and foisting onto customers the pricier option without first confirming if that was what they wanted to order.

The incident was first brought to light on the Complaint Singapore Facebook page on Aug. 5, and later reported by Shin Min Daily News, whose reporter did some snooping.

What happened

According to the original complaint on Facebook, the customer had wanted to order the S$4.50 portion of chicken rice at the stall as stated on the sign board, but was asked if he wanted the S$5.50 or S$6.50 option instead.

And when the stall owner was questioned why it was not S$4.50, the customer was allegedly told that kampung chicken is expensive.

Cheaper option extended to students

The Shin Min reporter observed that the chicken rice stall owner appeared to adjust his pricing according to who was patronising the stall.

For most customers, the stall owner asked if they wanted the S$5.50 or S$6.50 option upon placing an order.

However, the S$4.50 option was offered as a default to a group of junior college students.

The teens told the Chinese daily that they frequent the stall every few days, and that they have always been offered the S$4.50 serving.

Only at Bedok South stall

This issue of not being offered the S$4.50 serving appeared unique to the Bedok South outlet of the chicken rice chain.

The reporter said other branches patronised offered the S$4.50 option by default.

The 69-year-old chicken rice stall owner at the Bedok South outlet said that the S$5.50 and S$6.50 portions come with more meat than their cheaper alternatives, and that customers should specify in advance if they want the S$4.50 option.

“We’ve always sold (our chicken rice) this way and we haven’t encountered anyone who was unhappy with (this arrangement),” the stall owner added.

What's the difference between S$4.50 and S$5.50 chicken rice?

The Shin Min reporter then went further and made a side-by-side comparison between the S$4.50 and S$5.50 option.

It was discovered that the amount of rice served was roughly the same, but the pricier option had three more pieces of chicken meat.

Top photo via Shin Min Daily News