To ease the burden of those who are facing economic pressures, Sabarudin Ramli and his wife Ajuma’ Arasikim Din sell “nasi campur” with various dishes at a base price of RM5 per serving at their shop, Nasi Berlauk Juedin.
Although their profit margin is small, Sabarudin is happy knowing he is able to help his customers, especially those with large families.
“The ‘rahmah’ concept was introduced just a few weeks ago. Previously, our prices were like any regular eatery. But after many customers shared their struggles with the rising cost of living, my wife and I decided to make a change,” he said when met at his shop in Kampung Tok Jiring here recently.
Every day, the couple rises at 4am to prepare more than 30 dishes, assisted by four employees. Popular items include ikan patin masak tempoyak, ayam berempah, udang masak lemak cili api, ikan tiga rasa, and kerabu pegaga.
Iced tea and syrup drinks are also sold at just 50 sen per glass.
Sabarudin, 42, shared that they moved to their current premises six years ago. Previously, they ran a small stall in Kuala Nerus with a RM2.50 budget menu.
“Ever since our shop went viral on TikTok, we’ve been getting a non-stop stream of customers from as early as 10am,” the father of three said.
“Despite our prices, we never compromise on quality. Many are surprised that seafood dishes like prawns in gravy cost just RM4 a plate.”
The business operates from 10am to 5pm, Sundays to Thursdays. “But these days, the dishes run out by around 1.30pm, so we have to close early.
“In the past few weeks, we’ve been serving about 300 customers a day and have had to prepare larger batches of food,” Sabarudin added.
Customer Muhammad Asyraf Haniff Zaki, 35, said he was pleasantly by the initiative and hoped other vendors would follow suit.
“I paid only RM30 for a full meal that would cost no less than RM50 elsewhere. It’s definitely worth it,” he said.
Nasi Berlauk Juedin
Jalan Kampung Baru,
Kampung Tok Jiring,
21300 Kuala Terengganu, Terengganu
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