Customer accuses food stall auntie of rudeness, but eyewitness disputes his claims

A customer took to social media to express frustration after a food stall auntie allegedly refused to serve his wife. However, his account of the incident was quickly challenged by an eyewitness who was present at the scene.

In a Sept 25 (Sunday) post on the Complaint Singapore Facebook page, a man named Mr. Chua Michael claimed his wife had a negative experience at a vegetarian curry stall at Blk 409, Ang Mo Kio Ave 10. He wrote: “My wife queued for vegetarian curry mee hoon. The stall assistant auntie, wearing a white mask, said there was no mee hoon, so my wife asked for curry with rice. The auntie then said there was no rice either, and finally stated, ‘I don’t want to sell to you,’ and called the next customer. This kind of rude attitude is unacceptable. Please avoid this stall. Bad service.”

A long discussion followed Mr. Chua’s post, but a woman named Tricia Tan, who had witnessed the interaction, provided a different version of events.

Ms. Tan commented that she heard the auntie say there was only noodle curry available, not bee hoon. When Mr. Chua’s wife asked for white rice, the auntie explained that only chicken fragrant rice was left. She added in Chinese, “Want it? If not, that’s fine.”

Ms. Tan noted that the auntie moved on to the next customer after Mr. Chua’s wife left almost immediately. She suggested that the auntie was trying to serve the long queue as quickly as possible.

Having a family in the Food and Beverage Industry herself, Ms. Tan emphasized that workers are often under pressure to serve customers quickly, and sometimes their tone may come across as harsh unintentionally. “Everyone is trying their best to make ends meet. Why can’t we just give and take sometimes?” she wrote.

Many commenters supported Ms. Tan’s perspective, agreeing that the auntie was likely doing her best. One person clarified that the auntie is not just an attendant but the stall owner, while others shared their own positive experiences with her.

However, a few individuals did comment that the stall was known for “bad service.”

Several people criticized Mr. Chua for posting a photo of the auntie’s face, with one writing, “Because of a one-sided story, you want to destroy her business? That’s vindictive.” Others urged him to speak directly to the stall owner rather than publicly shaming her online.