Netizens Debate After M'sian Shares His Shock Over 40-Min Dine-In Limit At Dim Sum Eatery
The customer was appalled when the staff at a dim sum restaurant in Puchong, Selangor asked if they could clean up his table the moment he put down his chopsticks.
By Yap Wan Xiang — 23 Jun 2022, 06:18 PM
A Malaysian was in shock after learning that the dim sum restaurant he was dining at had a 40-minute dine-in limit, causing him to have an unpleasant breakfast experience
The man dined at a popular dim sum restaurant in Puchong, Selangor recently and shared his encounter in a Puchong community Facebook page.
"I can't say anything about the way the owner of F- X- Dim Sum restaurant runs their business, but as a customer, I'm sorry, I'm really unhappy. If yum cha has to be in a hurry, then why is it called yum cha?" said the man.
Yum cha refers to the Cantonese tradition of brunch involving Chinese tea and dim sum, with the first character of the term meaning enjoyment or taste. The modern interpretation of the term can also mean catching up with someone over tea.
"At around 7am in the morning, the moment I put down my chopsticks after eating and I had not even finished drinking a pot of tea, the staff politely asked if they can take (the empty dishes) away," he continued.
"Boss, dim sum is not a low budget meal," the man reminded
He said he began eating at 7.15am and finished at 7.45am, a mere 30 minutes meal time.
The man also shared a photo of a notice at the restaurant that reads, "Dine-in time limit: 40 minutes".
In an update, China Press reported that the man said he has no malicious intentions in the Facebook post as he only wanted wants dim sum restaurants to become an attraction in Selangor and wish they would accept customer feedback.
SAYS has reached out to the restaurant and confirmed that they indeed have the 40-minute dine-in time limit.
The man's post quickly garnered many netizens' attention, with a portion of them agreeing with his sentiment
"This has become a fast food meal," read a top comment.
"Eating this way as if you are rushing to get reincarnated," another Facebook user jabbed.
"40 minutes is a bit too short. (They) should take into consideration families with kids as it would be hard for them to (eat) fast," one person contended.
One netizen complained, "The staff stood beside me and once I finished my lo mai gai (steamed glutinous rice with chicken) and put down my chopsticks, they quickly came to take away my plate. I had not even finished my tea. They took the bamboo baskets as we finished them, we ate one, they took one."
On the other hand, some netizens defended the 40-minute dine-in limit at the dim sum restaurant, saying those who suffer at the hands of slow diners are customers waiting in queues.
"The 40-minute dine-in limit at a dim sum place is not a ridiculous demand. Let's be honest, if you are waiting outside the restaurant, you would wish the diners could finish their meal as soon as possible and not chat for one to two hours," one Facebook user contended.
"If dining at the dim sum restaurant is so unpleasant, why are so many people still going there? If you want to chit-chat over tea, go to a second location. Being stared at while eating dim sum and being surrounded by staff feels like an experience where one is begging for food," added another person.
One netizen also pointed out that the dine-in time limit is a good rule because some customers would 'hoard' the tables even before their friends and family have fully arrived.
