Hawker at ABC Brickworks food centre loses 41 forks & 10 plates in 16 days

Within three days of opening, Kine Burgers at ABC Brickworks Food Centre noticed that its cutlery was going missing.

The stall owner Ray, 38, told Mothership that he suffered the losses after just two months of Kine Burgers' opening.

In total, 41 forks and 10 plates were allegedly stolen from the stall over the course of 16 operating days.

He said: "That's a huge hit for a small business like mine, and it's making it unsustainable."

Metal fork and plates

Ray shared that he chose to use stainless steel forks and plates over disposable utensils because he wanted to do his part for the environment and keep nanoplastics out of food.

He even got customised utensils for his store with the business name printed to match the store's minimalistic aspect.

Ray shared that the customised forks cost about 50 to 60 cents each, while the plates cost over S$1 each.

He added that he currently uses wooden utensils, which are more costly than plastic ones.

"These thefts don't just hurt my wallet; they undermine my effort to run a sustainable business. Replacing metal utensils costs money. If this keeps up, I might have to go back to plastic, which is the last thing I want for my customers and the planet."

Not the only one

Ray shared that other hawkers had told him they faced similar issues.

He said the chairman of ABC Brickworks Market and Food Centre, who has been at the hawker centre for 19 years, has seen a loss of their utensils, which is not a new occurrence.

The chairman also told him that there was not much he could do and the only solution he could offer was to buy plastic forks and plates.

Mothership also spoke to another stall owner, Calvin from The Bowl Story, who shared that some of their cutlery and bowls have gone missing over the years.

Calvin stated that their spoons, chopsticks, and bowls would sometimes disappear.

He advised Ray not to use his metal plates and forks, as they were unique and might get stolen.

The missing utensils led Ray to turn to the police on Jun. 12 for help, but Ray said the police told him it may be quite challenging to catch the culprits as their utensils are pretty small and the nearest CCTV camera is not close by.

For Ray, he wants the situation to change instead of having to adapt to his utensils going missing.

He also would like the police to step up, with more cameras or arrests.

He asked: "The SPF's PolCam system has caught thieves before, so why not here?"

For now, Ray has put up a sign at the store about the stolen utensils and asked for them to be returned, noting that the authorities will be involved soon.

He said: "Can we get Singaporeans to keep an eye out, return utensils, and maybe even push for better security at our beloved hawker centres?"

Top photos via Hannah Martens/Mothership