“Our street food & mamak scene is dying because y’all refuse to pay fair prices.”
A Malaysian woman recently warned that the street food and mamak scene is slowly dying—and the blame, she says, lies with Malaysians themselves.
“Our street food & mamak scene is dying because y’all refuse to pay fair prices.”
She then goes on to say that RM5 to RM8 prices keep the quality at trash levels — old oil, cheap ingredients and no innovation.
She then urged for locals to normalise RM15 to RM25 prices for delicious, hygienic food.
“Normalize RM15-25 for proper, hygienic, delicious food and watch chefs actually level up the cuisine.
“But no – “mahal sedap takpa” is the excuse while complaining everything tastes the same and portions shrink.”
She ended her post telling Malaysian netizens that cheapskate habits are killing Malaysian food culture.
However, not everyone agreed with her take.
One netizen pointed out that higher prices do not always guarantee better quality.
“I’ve experienced street food using old oil and cheap ingredients even at RM15–RM25. So honestly, no,” wrote a netizen.
“What we need is transparency rather than hiked-up prices. I’d be willing to pay more for better ingredients, but only if there’s transparency.”
She also compared the situation to cafés that market themselves as using premium or specialised ingredients.
“Why do people go to cafés that claim to use gluten-free ingredients? They created a targeted market willing to spend. If vendors are transparent about quality, I’d give it a try.”
Others felt paying more was not an issue if the food delivered on quality.
“I don’t mind paying extra bucks for those good mamaks,” commented another.
Another netizen highlighted the broader economic reality faced by many Malaysians.
“Income stays the same, but lifestyle expectations go up. So in the end, people can only afford RM5–RM8 food,” wrote eubietan.
“The supply (mamak stalls) just follows what the market demands. It’s a cycle.”
