Struggling hawkers grateful for business boost through social media
Nasi padang stallholder Madam Noor Hani, who cried while being featured in a live stream, is now a star
After 25 years as a restaurant cook, Madam Noor Hani Ali finally opened her own nasi padang stall at Al Nour's Kitchen in Geylang Serai on May 1.
But her business took an unexpected hit when the tightened safety measures were announced, and dining in was banned from May 16 to June 13.
After three days of almost no sales and throwing away lots of food, the mother of two seriously considered throwing in the towel. However, a kind act by local entertainer Roslan Shah, who runs a rojak stall at the same coffee shop, changed her mind and her fortunes.
Madam Noor Hani, 57, told The New Paper: "I was sitting down and crying silently about no business, then Roslan told me, 'Don't cry, I will help you.'"
STREAM
In a Facebook live stream on May 18, Mr Roslan, who had been selling his own dishes, turned his camera to feature an emotional Madam Noor Hani and her food, urging viewers to support her.
Madam Noor Hani said all her food sold out within the hour and described it as a "miracle". And the support did not end there.
Now a star at the coffee shop, she said more people have been visiting her stall over the past week, with many telling her "auntie, don't cry".
She has also received bulk orders of up to 40 packs through WhatsApp.
Madam Noor Hani is also grateful that her fellow hawkers have assisted her in going digital.
"I am bad at technology, but they taught me how to use PayNow, how to take orders through WhatsApp, and they signed me up for delivery too," she said, adding that she is learning from Mr Roslan about building her own Facebook page.
Mr Roslan, who has been using Facebook Live to promote his food since he opened his stall last August, started featuring neighbouring stalls since January. Touching on the kampung spirit, he said: "I hope everyone can help others in their own style. We need to stay together as one and support one another through these hard times."
Madam Noor Hani is not the only hawker who has benefited from having an online presence through the help of others.
IMPROVING
Madam Wong Jin Wen, 38, who helps her 75-year-old mother at their Hainanese Curry Rice stall in Maxwell Food Centre, said business has been improving after being featured on the Instagram account wheretodapao on May 21 - the day of the page's launch.
It shares stories of elderly hawkers who are not online and encourages its 26,000 followers to patronise them with takeaway orders.
Madam Wong told TNP that a few customers who visited earlier this week said they learnt about the stall from wheretodapao, which she is extremely grateful for.
While she hopes the pandemic ends and the usual office crowd around the hawker centre returns soon, she would like to explore creating a social media page for the stall.
"Social media definitely helped our business, and I am pleasantly surprised about the power it has," she said.
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