Many mamak restaurants not offering Rahmah menu due to increase in costs

KUALA SELANGOR - Many mamak restaurants in the country are unable to continue providing the Rahmah menu following the rise in the costs of essential goods.

Malaysian Muslim Restaurant Owners Association (Presma) president Datuk Jawahar Ali Taib Khan said that restaurants were unable to keep up with the rapid increase in product prices.

"Us and the government have never forced mamak restaurants to prepare the Rahmah menu, but it depends on each individuals abilty," he said.

Jawahar said so far there were about 30 per cent or 4,000 of more than 12,000 mamak restaurant operators registered under Presma were still continuing with the initiative.

However, he emphasised that despite the rise in the cost of basic needs, food prices at mamak restaurants were not arbitrarily raised.

He clarified that the typical restaurant owner was still able to handle the rise and maintain a fair price as of right now.

"We acknowledge that the costs of items are rising, but Presma does not automatically result in an increase in the price of the food we sell unless the cost increases significantly or abruptly.

"If there is an increase in food prices even once, I am sure it will be at a fairly minimal rate," he said.

When asked if there had been an increase in the number of customers at mamak restaurants in the wake of the boycott of fast-food products associated with Israel, Jawahar said that there had been little change in the number of customers arrival because the two businesses catered to two distinct client clusters.

"Fast food has a more ''kayangan' (expensive) concept, while our (business segment) (focuses on) everyday food.

"We don't prepare the same dishes because customers who come to (mamak restaurants) want to relax," he said.