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The owner of Hup Chong Yong Tau Foo was so deeply affected by a recent Stomp article (which has now been removed) criticising their SS$9.20 price point. They had already announced that they will close permanently on Jan 2026. Referencing this incident, I couldn’t help but be reminded of the recent saga involving Lucas Neo, who was criticised for giving brutally honest reviews on MICHELIN hawkers in Singapore.
Personally, I don’t have a problem regarding either one of these issues. When it comes to food, there is no objective ‘right’ price; it all comes down to individual perspective and palates. Sure, you could go on a rant about how overpriced this place is or how the food is not up to your standards, and no one would blame you. I’m all for honesty, but the delivery is everything — the specific tone and language used in an article or video can make or break a business.
The fact is, online reviews do matter, whether you like it or not. When articles cast businesses in a positive light, sales often rise; conversely, negative reviews can lead to reduced footfall. Hawkers are not having an easy time running a business, that’s for sure. Many of them have shared that they make enough to survive, others are constantly worried that their monthly sales aren’t enough. Factors including rising cost of materials, rental issues, and demanding customers are just some of their problems.
In my opinion, the article might have benefited from a more even-handed tone, rather than one that felt mildly confrontational toward the business.
So back to the question — is the pricing at Hup Chong Yong Tau Foo really too high? On their Facebook page, they have already stated that they sell their handcrafted Hakka yong tau foo at S$0.80 per piece, with other items costing S$1 each. With a 5-piece minimum order priced at S$4, plus an extra S$1 for noodles, your meal comes to a grand total of S$5.
According to the Stomp contributor, since the bean sprouts were running low, the staff offered to substitute them with extra helpings of broccoli. After observing the picture of her meal, here are my conclusions.
She had ordered:
- a bowl of kway teow
- 1 boiled egg
- 1 fried meatball
- 2 boiled meatballs
- 1 herh kiao (or dumpling)
- 1 stuffed beancurd
- 1 stuffed tau pok
- 1 fried you tiao-looking item.
- Separately, there was also a bowl of soup with enoki mushrooms, 1 bitter gourd, and a few broccoli.
If you consider the extra broccoli a complimentary substitution, her order actually consisted of 10 items plus a serving of noodles. Now, I’m not sure which items are considered normal and which are considered more atas at S$1 each. To me, S$9.20 seems reasonable for the amount of stuff she took. If she had chosen 10 normal ingredients, the total for the meal — including the noodles — should have come to exactly S$9.
Since Hup Chong Yong Tau Foo is located within a kopitiam at Toa Payoh, let me share the price of one of my favourite YTF stalls in the same neighbourhood. Meixi Yong Tau Foo at 73 Lorong 4 Toa Payoh sells their YTF at S$5 for 5 items with noodles, with each item also costing S$0.80.
While I do agree with the Stomp contributor that there are cheaper alternatives such as Guan Huat Yong Tau Foo and Xin Xin Yong Tau Foo, but ultimately, Hup Chong Yong Tau Foo isn’t that pricey after all, considering the amount of ingredients she had taken.
Thank you, Hup Chong Yong Tau Foo, for your years of hard work and for serving us such good food. We wish the owners a very happy and well-deserved retirement this coming January.
What are your opinions on this? Do share with us in the comments.
