It is such incidences that makes it hard to argue for the cause of
locals...
For ANYTHING to change, first the PEOPLE must change.... !!
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Freeloaders flock to 'Pay what you want' charity buffet
lunch at Shenton Way
HE TAKES 5 SERVINGS, GIVES $2
By Chong Shin Yen
December 07, 2007
THEY came in droves, ate their fill - and more than half left
without giving generously.
Mr Tan Teck Boon dropped $2 into the donation box before heading
for the buffet line for a hearty lunch. -- Pictures: CHOO CHWEE
HUA
Instead of being charged a flat amount for the buffet lunch, diners
were told to pay as they wished - with the proceeds going to
charity.
While some gave generously, more than half of the 400 or so
customers, including well-dressed office workers, seemed to take
the donation drive's slogan - 'Who says there's no such thing as a
free lunch?' - literally.
Some walked out without digging into their pockets while others,
like Mr Tan Teck Boon, gave only $2.
This, for a buffet lunch that would normally have cost $16.
The 51-year-old retiree was at the Geek Terminal restaurant at
Market Street yesterday.
Mr Tan dropped a $2 note into the donation box at the entrance
before going in.
He visited the buffet line at least five times, with plates piled
high. Just before leaving, he had one more go. He piled his paper
plate with fruits and then walked out of the restaurant
hurriedly.
He was still eating his fruits when The New Paper approached him
outside the restaurant.
Before we could ask any questions, he said in Mandarin: 'I did put
in $2!'
He then said that it was his second go at the charity buffet since
the five-day charity drive began on Monday.
He was on the way to the bank on Tuesday when he walked past the
restaurant and saw a banner advertising the 'free lunch'.
'I saw that it was free, so I went in. The food was good and it was
really worth it,' said Mr Tan.
He then gave $3 and decided to return again yesterday.
As to why he gave $1 less on his second visit, he said: 'I give as
I like lor.'
Would he return again? Mr Tan, who lives in Ang Mo Kio, replied:
'Of course! Why not?'
The restaurant can seat around 60 diners but it was filled to more
than capacity at times.
Those who could not get a seat would stand while they tucked into
their food.
One of Geek Terminal's owners, MrDanny Pang, 38, said that
freeloaders had been turning up since the charity drive
began.
Said Mr Pang: 'There were many who came and left without
donating.
'I was helping to make coffee on Monday and many came in for a cup
of cappucino or latte but left without leaving a cent.'
He said a cup of coffee is normally sold at $3.50. However, his
staff would not approach diners who do not donate.
One such diner was Mr Ron Quan, 39, a marketing executive who was
dressed in a short-sleeved shirt and pants.
When we approached him, he sheepishly admitted that he had eaten
for free.
'I will make my donations directly to the charity some other time,'
he said, before rushing off to take the train back to his office in
Suntec City.
The restaurant was hoping its donation drive would raise
$100,000.
Other than the buffet lunch, from 11.30am to 2.30pm, the restaurant
is also holding auctions daily for sponsored electronic products
like bluetooth headsets and webcams.
Proceeds from the auctions and the lunch donations will go to the
charity organisation Mainly I Love Kids (Milk), which reaches out
to chronically-ill, disabled or disadvantaged children and
youths.
The restaurant is six months old, and provides the same menu during
the charity drive as it does on regular days - Asian cuisine on
Monday and Tuesday, Western on Wednesday and Thursday, and
International on Friday.
Yesterday's buffet had 10 dishes which included salad, soup, butter
rice, teriyaki chicken, assam fish and fruits.
Mr Pang said that on regular days, the restaurant takes in an
average of $4,000.
He said: 'Monday's auction raised $3,000 and we got $2,000 on
Tuesday. We have not counted the money in the donation box yet but
I estimate it to be around $1,000 so far.'
Mr Pang said that Milk will only open the donation box at the end
of Friday.
Although the amount collected so far is way off their target, Mr
Pang said that it was okay because it is all in the name of
charity.
Mr Pang said that while more than half of the diners were
freeloaders or 'cheapskates', there were others who were generous
too.
In general, he said that expatriates were more willing to give and
share.
'On Tuesday, six of them came in for a cup of cappuccino. When they
learnt that we were running a donation drive, they each gave $20,'
said Mr Pang.
'We also had locals who gave amounts ranging from $10 to $50, and
that was heart-warming.'
Mr Aaron Desange, an expatriate from Australia, has been having his
lunch at Geek Terminal since Monday and gives $15 each time.
Together with a fellow expatriate, they spent $210 bidding for
three electronic items yesterday.
Mr Desange even offered to give a bluetooth headset to this
reporter, saying that he and his friend did not really need the
products.
'It's all for charity, doesn't matter how much. Now I have so many
Christmas gifts to give away,' he said.