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.