When most of us think of comfort food on the cheap, we probably default to a reliably delicious, affordable serving of nasi lemak biasa, or a crispy piece of roti canai with your choice of curry gravy or dhal.
But with the cost of wheat flour rising locally, Malaysian Indian Muslim Restaurant Owners Association (Presma) president Jawahar Ali Taib Khan has said that the prices of wheat-based menu items may also increase in kind as restaurant operators struggle to cope with higher operating costs.
Vendor endeavours to sell his roti canai at 50 sen
Yet with all that talk of increased costs and more expensive roti canai abound, a stall operator in Melaka has staunchly made the decision to keep the prices of his own roti canai at a partly 50 sen a piece, which is a far cry from the prices that many of us now expect to pay for the staple Malaysian dish. As reported by Malaysia Gazette, 58-year-old Mustafa Abd Latif has endeavored to turn a blind eye and keep the price of his most basic roti canai the same for over the past 11 years, so that even the poorest members of society can afford a meal.
And this is in spite of the fact that his business has already begun to feel the effects of increased operating costs by ways of more expensive raw ingredients. As of January this year, Mustafa said that he was only bringing in a daily profit of anywhere between RM30 to RM60, which pales in comparison to more than double the profits he would have brought in if he had used subsidised wheat flour instead.
Wants to make sure even the poor can afford to eat
Even then, he says that he remains over the moon in knowing that all members of society are able to enjoy a hot meal at his stall.
“Since I started my business in 2001, I have made it a point to keep my prices the same; 50 sen for a piece of ordinary roti canai, and RM1 for a piece of roti telur, to the point where I’ve had to simply turn a blind eye.
I know what it’s like to struggle, I’ve seen how some large families have had to count their pennies in order to make all of their eight kids happy, even if it meant just eating roti kosong.
With just RM5, a father can feed his family of 10 at my stall and for me, that brings me a sense of satisfaction.” he said.
Operating his stall out of Kampung Bukit Pulau, Bukit Katil, the father of four children and grandfather to four grandchildren, says he is able to sell around 220 pieces of roti canai a day, which translates to about 10 kilograms of flour.
Asides from the staple, no-frills roti canai, Mustafa also sells a range of other warung favourites such as roti bom for RM1, roti sardin at RM1, and roti bawang at RM1.30. Per month, he pays RM480 for the rental of his stall.
Mustafa says that his children have urged him to raise the prices of his roti canai by 10 to 20 sen, but he has remained committed to selling it at 50 sen per piece. His profit margins have only grown slimmer due to the scarcity of subdisised wheat flour in the market, which costs RM1.35 per kilo. As such, he has been forced to switch to non-subsidised wheat flour, which is being sold at RM3 per kilo.
While his children have urged him to raise the prices of his roti canai by 10 to 20 sen, he has remained staunchly committed to selling it at 50 sen, and says that the other items on his menu can make up for the difference in cost.
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Also read: Get ready to pay a little more for your roti canai soon as prices are expected to rise slightly!
