PENANG: Instead of cooking up a storm, local hawkers have been watching their plates collect dust since the pandemic and ensuing movement control orders (MCO) began.
To make matters worse, many Malaysians no longer head out frequently to ‘dabao’ (takeaway) food as they are understandably afraid of contracting Covid-19, or are too engrossed with working from home.
These unfortunate circumstances, coupled with the rise of online delivery platforms, have all but robbed local hawkers of their income and have rendered most of them helpless.
Thankfully, 20-year-old Yew Yik Khai and 11 of his friends have taken up the mantle of becoming the digital voice for Penang’s hawkers. And it all began with a simple craving.
Yew had been yearning for the sweet taste of cendol for months, ever since returning to the island after completing his studies in Kuala Lumpur.
However, he was stunned to learn that his favourite cendol stall and other hawkers in the vicinity, were struggling to survive.
“All the uncles and aunties (hawkers) were just sitting around without customers to attend to, even though it was a Sunday, a peak day,” Yew lamented, recalling the miserable sight.
“A few days later, I saw something on Instagram, about an ice cream seller in Singapore who was facing a similar situation due to the lack of tourists. Immediately, it sparked an idea.”
In just two weeks, Dabao Penang spotlighted 37 hawker stalls. Three new stalls are featured on their account every day. (Dabaopg pic)
With that, Yew and his friends, who are between 18 to 20 years old, launched Dabao Penang on June 20, an Instagram page that promotes these small-time eateries and their delectable offerings.
Since its inception, Dabao Penang has brought Penanites together to support struggling hawkers, by featuring three new stalls or eateries, every day. These new entries are sent in by locals from across the island and mainland, in a bid to highlight their favourite eatery.
What’s more, you don’t have to be an esteemed food critic to send in your suggestions, as it simply requires a short description and images of the eatery, food as well as the hawker who runs the stall.
Apart from the hawker’s contact details and location, Dabao Penang’s online form also prompts users to send in personal stories about their chosen hawker stall. (Dabaopg pic)
The rest of the work – from editing of images to social media posts – is done by Yew and his team of friends, free of charge. Their sole focus is to help struggling hawkers.
“Most of them are senior citizens who are not fluent in English and are not as tech savvy as younger entrepreneurs. This makes them lose out, since most don’t even own a Facebook account,” he said, pointing out that these hawkers are not aware of digital advertising options.
What’s more, the few hawkers that do link up with a commercial delivery service end up losing up to 30% of their earnings on commission charges as well.
They’ve even created an interactive map that highlights the location of their featured stalls for people to easily find them. (Dabaopg pic)
These submissions, which only take a few minutes to fill out, have played a crucial role in bringing more business to these weary hawkers.
Since Dabao Penang began their initiative, many hawkers have regained some of their former income, not to mention confidence.
Just recently, Yew received a voice message from Elizabeth, a grateful hawker who was featured on their page. She was booming with excitement as she expressed her gratitude.
“I really want to thank you for what you’re doing as I’ve had many new customers recently. When I ask them, they all mention that they learnt about my store from your Instagram account. I really can’t thank you enough,” she beamed in her voice message to Yew.
On top of takeaway orders, Elizabeth also added that she has since received numerous orders via WhatsApp, many of which were for her signature beef noodle soup.
Elizabeth is but one of the many hawkers that Dabao Penang have helped through their small but meaningful initiative. Through the power of social media and support of fellow Penangites, local teens like Yew have become a voice for them.
While squares of delicious food continue to flood Dabao Penang’s feed, their page remains an encouraging reminder for everyone to support local businesses during this troubling time.
Source: https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/leisure/2021/07/12/youngsters-step-up-to-become-the-voice-of-struggling-hawkers/