Bukit Panjang hawker confronts diner cancelling order after 2-hour wait, tells him 'you talk to me properly'

For one family, their Christmas celebration didn't turn out to be so merry after all. 

Following a friend's recommendation, Raymond Tan Rui decided to bring his family to Jiao Cai Seafood at Senja Hawker Centre to celebrate the season. 

However, apart from not getting their dinner after a two-hour wait, they said they were accosted by a hostile hawker and had a police report made against them.

In a Facebook post on Monday (Dec 26), Tan said the family visited the stall on Sunday (Dec 25) just after 7pm. 

They ordered sambal stingray, sambal/garlic kang kong, Fuyong omelette and three bowls of rice with the total bill amounted to $34.40. 

Upon ordering, the cashier told them the estimated waiting time was about half an hour. 

Around 8pm, Tan checked on the order and was told by the cashier it was another 30 more minutes. 

"We understand as the store was quite crowded on Christmas night. So, we went back to our [seat] and [continued] to wait," said Tan. 

However, at 8.50pm after almost two hours of waiting, there was still no sign of the food. 

"Nothing was served, not even an omelette. How long do you need to prepare an omelette?" lamented Tan.

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Hungry and frustrated, Tan and his wife, who is pregnant, approached the stall again to enquire about their food.

The couple also told the hawkers that if the food was not ready, they wanted to cancel their order and get a refund. 

Tan's wife said she was initially told by one of the stall employees that there'll be no refunds, and referred her to another employee. 

While the couple was speaking to the second employee, a man in black approached them to clarify the matter. 

He allegedly pointed his finger at them and said in a "very fierce tone": "Eh j****, you talk to me properly, you understand." 

Tan recounted that the hawker sounded like he was "trying to pick a fight". 

"I was very shocked to hear that. We waited for almost two hours, not even a sorry was heard," shared Tan, describing the hawker's behaviour as "gangster-style". 

Tan insisted on a refund and said that he was "very reluctantly" given one by the hawker, who also "[murmured] vulgarities". 

"It's true that I am angry, who wouldn't be after waiting for [over] one hour for their food and told to "talk to me properly"? A simple sorry would have [solved] the problem," said Tan. 

Tan added that if the stall had told him the food would take an hour from the start, he would have bought food from another stall and the incident "[could] be avoided". 

Tan shared on his Facebook post that he will be engaging a lawyer once he gets a legal letter from the stall. 

'Do not twist the facts'

Responding to the allegations, Jiao Cai Seafood shared their version of the incident on Monday (Dec 26) in the comments section as well as their Instagram.

They confirmed that Tan had placed an order at 7.19pm and the couple later check on the status of their food at about 8.10pm. 

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"One of our staff told you guys that the orders were not ready and suddenly, there was what seemed to be a hoo-ha outside the shop," shared Jiao Cai Seafood. 

In response, their boss intervened and "wanted to solve things amicably". He also allegedly told the diners: "Let's talk properly." 

Jiao Cai Seafood claimed that the diners had raised their voices and were "seething with anger and fist clenched". 

The hawker stall also clarified that none of the staff had spewed vulgarities nor pointed fingers at the diners. 

Jiao Cai Seafood also denied that the diners had waited two hours for their food, countering that the refund was processed at 8.15pm and the customers "certainly did not wait until 8.50pm". 

"We would appreciate it if you do not twist the facts of the incident," said Jiao Cai Seafood, adding that they have since lodged a police report against Tan. 

"This incident is deeply concerning to us because in the spirit of Christmas day and especially when the kitchen was busy fulfilling orders, this was the last thing we want to deal with," said the hawker. 

When contacted, the police confirmed that a report was lodged. 

AsiaOne has reached out to Tan and Jiao Cai Seafood for more details. 

ALSO READ: Much ado about loose change: Woman taken to hospital after clash with Chinatown hawker over $2 in coins

melissateo@asiaone.com

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