JOHOR BAHRU - With the cost of food ingredients continuing to rise, some restaurant owners in Malaysia have decided to drop their Rahmah Menu, which was supposed to offer affordable food options, after a few months.

Restaurant owner Sahul Hameed, 48, offered the RM5 (S$1.40) meal for about three months before deciding to do away with the initiative.

“I started offering the Rahmah Menu some time in July before stopping it early last month as I could no longer bear the losses.

“When I first offered the meal, the price of ingredients was lower. While I did not make any profit from the Rahmah Menu, at least I was not facing any losses.

“However, as the price of ingredients continues to rise, it became very difficult for me to cope.

“For a while, I tried offering the meal despite the losses. But when the price of rice also went up, I had no choice but to just drop the menu,” he said.

Mr Sahul said while he wished to continue the menu for those in need, he can no longer do so in this current economic climate.

“Even workers’ salaries have gone up. If the government could give us some form of support, perhaps I can continue to provide the Rahmah Menu.

“One way the government could help is by giving special subsidies. At least, this way, those offering the menu will not feel too burdened and will be motivated to continue,” he said.

Another restaurant owner, Mr Zaid Harith, 33, stopped offering the Rahmah Menu due to low demand.

“Most businesses drop the initiative due to the rising cost of ingredients, but in my case, I did so because there was no demand for it,” he said.

He was puzzled by this, as his restaurant was located near several factories in Johor’s industrial zone of Pasir Gudang.

“Perhaps the promotion for the initiative has slowed down lately. For now, I think I may still be able to provide the Rahmah Menu if there’s more demand,” he said, adding that he had only four to five customers asking for the meal in a day.

However, some restaurant owners have defied the rising prices to continue with the affordable meal option.

Restaurant owner Nor Azlina Abd Rahman, 46, said she could still provide the Rahmah Menu for now.

“We used to offer the Rahmah Menu once a week. But two months ago, we started providing the meal every day to help those who need it.

“I am unsure how long we can continue doing so, but I will try my best to continue as I see it as a way for me to contribute to society,” she said. THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK