Bencoolen eatery charges S$5 for iced Milo, leaves customer appalled, shop says prices listed

A customer at a Vietnamese eatery located at The Bencoolen was shocked to learn that a cup of iced Milo set her and husband back by S$5, but a beer was cheaper at S$3.

In response, the restaurant pointed out that prices were prominently displayed on its menu and customers are free to choose from a range of beverage options.

Beer S$3, iced Milo S$5

According to Shin Min Daily News, the customer, Liang (transliteration), 70, said she and her husband visited Oc Mai, located at The Bencoolen, on Jan. 2.

"My husband ordered a beer and an iced Milo, which came up to S$8. I later found out that the iced Milo was S$5, more expensive than the beer which was S$3," Liang said in disbelief.

She said she felt that this was unreasonable and confronted the restaurant staff.

However, she was upset by the staff's attitude and the response she got.

Liang opined that a drink like iced Milo should be priced affordably, and a higher price point for such a drink would only add to the burden of everyday folks.

A photo of the restaurant's menu on Google Maps showed that the iced Milo was priced the same as a cup of iced milk coffee.

A cup of hot Milo costs S$3.

Husband agreed to price

The restaurant's manager, Mai (transliteration), 45, told Shin Min that she was frustrated by the incident.

She revealed that when Liang's husband was placing the drinks order, her staff had clarified with him the price of the iced Milo before preparing the order.

He agreed to it and did not express any discontent at the time.

"Who knew his wife would turn around and complain about things being too expensive," Mai said.

Prices clearly displayed on menu

The manager added that the prices are clearly indicated on the menu, and that customers can choose whether they wanted to spend their money there.

She added that the restaurant's menu offers customers a range of beverage options to choose from, such as S$3 beer.

As such, she did not understand why there would be complaints.

Explaining the prices, Mai pointed out that rent is high and operating costs are ever-increasing.

According to Mai, this is the first time she has received a complaint about her food and drinks being too expensive in her eight years running the business.

Trading blame

Additionally, Mai accused Liang of being discourteous when she approached the restaurant's staff.

"There were other customers present at the time. Her bickering affected our business," Mai said.

Liang denied this, saying that it was the staff who had raised their voice.

She emphasised that all she wanted was an explanation and was not trying to cause a scene.

However, the back-and-forth with the staff eventually turned into an argument.

S$2.50 to S$2.80 iced Milo nearby

Some customers that Shin Min spoke to said they could understand if specialty coffee from Vietnam was sold for S$5, but S$5 for iced Milo raised eyebrows.

According to Shin Min, an eatery adjacent to Oc Mai also had iced Milo on their menu but sold it at S$2.70.

Iced Milo prices at the nearby hawker centre were also more wallet-friendly, ranging from S$2.50 to S$2.80.

Top image via Shin Min Daily News, Google Maps