Viral Circulated Photo Urges ‘Boycott’ Of Toast Box For Alleged Steep Price Hike After GST Increase
The photo, which has been making its rounds on WhatsApp, alleged: “See how many % Toast Box increase their selling price on the excuse of 1% GST increase. BOYCOTT TOAST BOX”. Toast Box tells 8days.sg its side of the story.
While there are eateries who insist on not raising their prices and settling for a lower profit margin, some irate customers have also reported being charged eye-watering prices for food like economic rice, ostensibly due to rising operating costs.
“Boycott Toast Box”
A now-viral photo started making its rounds on WhatsApp yesterday (Jan 18), calling for a “boycott” of cafe chain Toast Box for increasing its prices. The chain is owned by BreadTalk Group.
The photo compared two undated Toast Box menus for the chain’s Asian Delights Sets, showing the steep price increase for meal sets. For instance the nasi lemak set, which used to cost $8.20, was priced at $11.30 in the updated menu with a jump of $3.10.
Other significant increases included the Laksa set, which used to be $7.50 and is now $10, and the Mee Rebus set, which was $7.10 (now $9.70).
The text accompanying the photo appeared to link the price hike to the GST rate: “See how many % Toast Box increase their selling price on the excuse of 1% GST increase. BOYCOTT TOAST BOX”.
Toast Box responds
8days.sg reached out to Toast Box, whose rep clarified that the ‘before’ menu in the viral photo “was dated back to the period between Jan 2019 to Jun 2021”. Under the old pricing, the rep said “Asian Delight sets were served without a slice of cake, and the Luncheon Meat & Egg sandwich set did not include half-boiled eggs”.
Which means even though prices have increased, customers actually get more food for their buck. According to Toast Box’s rep, selected outlets had been serving “enhanced Asian Delight set meals with the inclusion of a slice of tea cake” since Jan 2020. This was gradually implemented across all Toast Box outlets in 2020 and 2021.Starting from last Dec 20, Toast Box also allowed customers ordering the Asian Delight set meal to choose “any sliced cake or side worth up to $2.20, not only limited to tea cakes”. This includes options like Curry Puff, Banana Cake, Pandan Chiffon Cake and Honey Cake. A slice of tea cake usually costs an average of $2 a la carte.
The cafe’s sandwich sets also “now include two half-boiled eggs worth $2”. Customers who don’t fancy the extra cake or eggs are also “free to opt out and will be charged a la carte prices for their beverage and Asian Delight or sandwich respectively”.
Rising operating costs
However, Toast Box acknowledged that it had increased its prices, explaining: “Due to the recent rise in raw material prices, manpower and operating costs, we have had to make the necessary adjustments in order not to compromise on our product quality and service standards.”
It also highlighted that it had introduced a BreadTalk Rewards Kopi e-Voucher Package, which lets customers “enjoy their favourite Nanyang Kopi and Teh at discounted prices”.
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