M'sia influencer requests free meal in exchange for exposure, eatery has more followers than him

A well-known Nasi Kandar stall in Penang was left bemused by someone who turned up claiming to be an "influencer" and asking for a free meal in exchange for "exposure".

The stall owner said that the influencer had boasted of his 40,000 followers, perhaps unaware that the stall itself has over 190,000 followers on Facebook.

What happened

The owner of Nasi Kandar Sulaiman, a stall located at Jalan Ayer Itam in George Town, Penang, shared a post in Malay on Oct. 19.

Nasi Kandar is a popular dish in Malaysia, consisting of mixed curry rice with a variety of meats and veggies.

The stall owner described a family entering his eatery, and someone came up to him, showing off their 40,000 followers on TikTok.

The influencer then asked for a free meal in exchange for sharing a video for "exposure".

The stall owner listened to this offer and responded that he still had to pay for his meal. He added that he didn't care if the influencer took a video of his stall or not, but if he wanted a meal, he had to pay up.

The influencer kept asking, but the stall owner would not budge.

He said that the meal he asked compensation for came up to RM53 (S$16.20), and if 10 people came in with the same story, he would make a loss.

In the end, the influencer paid for the meal and finished it, and tried once more, saying, "I'm an influencer."

He still had to pay.

As of Oct. 22, the Facebook post has gone viral with around 14,000 reactions, with many of the comments backing the stall owner's stand.

Top image from Nasi Kandar Sulaiman FB page.