Looking for an affordable meal?
The $2.50 Shop at Jalan Kukoh Food Centre has reopened on Monday (July 6) following a two-month hiatus, when the stall’s lawyer-turned-hawker Hani Isnin had to step away to care for her elderly parents.
Even when the stall was closed, Hani continued feeding the elderly and needy residents in the neighbourhood by offering free food outside her stall, she told Berita Harian.
She had done something similar in 2023, when she had to bring her parents to a medical appointment.
“If I close completely, what will they eat?” she said, explaining that her concern stemmed from the fact that some of the residents in the area depended on her stall for food to take with medication. Several lived alone as well.
In a Facebook post on June 1, the owner shared that her mother was unwell and said she would provide an update on the stall’s reopening date. She later announced on June 22 that the stall would resume operations on July 13, before eventually reopening a week earlier.
During its hiatus, Hani continued sharing updates about the stall, including how it is changing out appliances such as the display shelf and refrigerator, as well as doing reworks to its flooring and electrical wiring.
“The $2.50 Shop family will be back soon with a better menu and services. See you all soon,” she wrote in a Facebook post on July 1.
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First opened in 2020 by Hani’s parents, the stall was previously known as Traditional Malay Muslim Cuisine. It sells dishes such as lontong, nasi lemak and mee rebus, and prices ranged from $3 to $4.50.
In 2022, Hani joined her parents in running the stall. It was subsequently renamed The $2.50 Shop, reflecting how the prices of all the main dishes were lowered to $2.50.
In an interview with AsiaOne in 2023, she shared that she had done so as she wanted to keep food prices affordable for the elderly and lower-income families living nearby.
And despite rising costs in recent years, prices at The $2.50 Shop remains the same.
Hani described the business’ profit as “miserable”, but said she was content as long as she could pay the bills and “save a little bit”.
Fast forward to 2026, the stall now spends about $500 a day on ingredients such as meat, vegetables and other cooking necessities, excluding around 50kg of rice purchased every four days, Hani told Berita Harian.
Yet, even as operating costs continue to climb, Hani believes a $2.50 meal may still be beyond the means of some residents in the neighbourhood.
“There are still customers who come with only 80 cents. I don’t have the heart to tell them to eat just a piece of kueh, and give them more filling food,” she told the newspaper.
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carol.ong@asiaone.com
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