Going back to normal hours
Cost increase may see fewer 24-hour eateries
JOHOR BARU: The 24-hour mamak restaurants, which are favourite hangouts of Malaysians, may be a thing of the past due to increased costs and worker shortage.
Malaysian Muslim Restaurant Owners Association (Presma) president Ayoob Khan Muhamad Yakub said many operators were considering closing down or switching to normal hours.
Raising prices would be counterproductive, he said.
“It will drive away customers as they are sensitive to any price increase.
“We are still maintaining our prices but the profit is very small. We are not sure how long we are able to continue this policy,” Ayoob added.
He said that since locals were not interested to work in Indian Muslim restaurants, the owners were forced to depend on Tamilspeaking South Indian workers.
“But getting them to work with us is also difficult now as they prefer to work in provision shops or restaurants in the Persian Gulf countries for higher pay,” he said.
Ayoob said Presma had been looking at the possibility of introducing self-service but members were divided on the move.
Johor Indian Muslim Entrepreneurs Association (Perusim) secretary Hussein Ibrahim said the weaker ringgit in recent years was the main reason why South Indians gave Malaysia a pass.
“Malaysia is no longer perceived to be the land of milk and honey.
“It makes them think twice about whether it is worth making the journey here,” he said.
Hussein said it was cheaper to hire South Indians because restaurant owners only have to spend about RM2,500 each on documents and approval compared to RM5,000 for Indonesians.
On the other hand, Bangladeshis in Malaysia were only willing to work eight hours a day as they wanted to work part-time at carwash outlets or handphone shops, he claimed.
Hussein said Perusim members had no plans to introduce self-service at their restaurants.
“Some of us had tried the idea but scrapped it as customers tended to help themselves to too much curry or sambal, which caused wastage,” he said.
There are about 4,000 24-hour Indian Muslim restaurants under Presma.
Perusim has 288 members, most of whom operate 24-hour restaurants while the rest run provision shops, trading companies and money-changing outlets.
Johor Baru Bazaar trader Abdul Rahim Moain, 45, who closes his stall at 2am, said he loved to unwind with a glass of teh tarik after work.
“By the time I finish work, only the 24-hour restaurants are still open and I can conveniently walk to one of the eateries to enjoy my favourite mee goreng before I head home,” he said.
Jay Naidu, 26, said the 24-hour eateries were synonymous with Malaysian culture and it would be a shame if they were to cut short their operating hours.
He said he enjoyed watching football matches and sports events on the big screen with his friends.
“It is a great place to foster relations too. A good case in point was when Malaysians came together at these restaurants to cheer for Team Malaysia during the recent KL SEA Games over drinks and roti canai,” he added.