That viral S$8 Lucky Plaza pinakbet: rent, 250 plates a day and the S$3 home version

The S$8 pinakbet at Lucky Plaza costs that much because of rent and volume.

Food is about S$3 of each plate. The other S$5 pays rent, wages, utilities and dishwashing, and a stall needs about 250 plates a day to cover them.

Hindi ka niloloko ng tindera. The math explains the price, and it shows how much you save cooking at home.

The viral post

A member of the Filipinos in Singapore group posted a photo of one small bowl of sitaw, kalabasa, talong and okra, priced at S$8.

The poster said the cashier first quoted S$6, then the server said S$8. The cashier looked surprised too, and the poster paid anyway.

The post reached 7,300 people, with 187 reactions and 157 comments in three hours. "Galing pa yata Pinas ung talong," one member joked.

Half the group said "ang mahal naman." The other half said cook at home. Both are right.

The cheapest part

Sitaw, kalabasa, talong, okra, a little pork, rice and the plastic bowl cost the stall about S$3 a plate.

That is the part you picture when you see the price. It is also the smallest part.

Monthly bills

Before it sells one plate, a Lucky Plaza stall pays every month:

Licences and permits come on top. The whole S$8 stays with the stall.

Rent never moves. Sell 50 plates or 500, the S$15,000 is still due.

Divide S$37,500 by 30 days and the stall spends about S$1,250 a day before the first customer walks in.

The break-even

One plate sells for S$8. Food costs about S$3. That leaves S$5 for the bills.

S$1,250 a day ÷ S$5 a plate = 250 plates a day.

Sell fewer, and the stall loses money that day.

Cheaper stalls

A Chinese rice stall in a coffee shop stays busy for breakfast, lunch and dinner, every day.

A Filipino stall at Lucky Plaza gets busy in short windows, after work and on weekends, when kababayans gather.

Give both stalls the same S$37,500 in bills:

• Filipino stall, 250 plates a day: S$5 in rent and bills per plate.
• Chinese stall, 500 plates a day: S$2.50 per plate.

Twice the customers, half the cost per plate. Walang gahaman dito; one stall has more people walking in.

Cooking at home

A pot of pinakbet for four:

• Vegetables and a little pork: about S$10
• Rice: about S$1
• Gas or electricity: about S$0.50
• Water and soap for washing up: about S$0.50

Total: S$12 for four plates, or S$3 each. That is S$5 less than the stall.

The S$3 leaves out the bus or MRT fare to the market, and close to an hour of cooking and washing up.

In dollars, the kaldero wins. On a tired rest day, the S$8 plate buys that hour back, with a seat, aircon and a Sunday that feels like home.

Before you post

Next time a price shocks the group, run the small math first: rent, wages, bills, then food.

A Lucky Plaza stall needs about 250 plates a day, sold in a few busy hours, to break even.