JITRA: HAVE a piece of roti canai for 50 sen and a cup of hot coffee at just 20 sen for breakfast.
Then for lunch, help yourself to free rice top-up to go with the over 70 dishes sold at no more than RM4 each.
No, this is not a playback of a movie from the 1970s but a real-life scene from a restaurant in Jalan Tok Keramat. The outlet is selling food and drinks at a fraction of the price of what other eateries are charging nowadays.
While some business operators are taking advantage of the fuel subsidy rationalisation to hike up prices, this restaurant run by Sobri Zakaria, 46, is setting an example on how to sustain business without overcharging customers.
It beggars belief, but Sobri is only charging between RM1 and RM2 each for more than 70 dishes and selling popular drinks such as Horlicks, Milo, coffee, sirap bandung and others at 20 sen.
The restaurant is selling grilled and fried fish such as pomfret and catfish at only RM4 each.
Apart from offering the meals and drinks at half the market price, the restaurant also serves porridge for free every Sunday and Wednesday, a variety of fruits every Tuesday, and cordial drinks every Monday and Thursday.
On how he manages to sustain his business by charging at such cheap prices, Sobri, who has been running the family restaurant for the past four years, said it was in line with his “charity in business” philosophy.
“I come from a poor family. I had to start working at the age of 10. I worked as a helper at a coffee shop and picked ulam at my village to earn extra money.
“I even had to beg for donation for my child’s surgery when he was diagnosed with colon cancer some years ago,” he said.
As his life improved and he started earning a decent living from his business, Sobri decided to share it with the people, especially the underprivileged.
“This is my small contribution to give back to society as I am grateful for what I have now,” he said.
The lucky one millionth customer at the restaurant stands a chance to win a Honda EX5 motorcycle.
“We have recorded 985,056 customers as of today (last Saturday) and we hope to hit the one million mark before the end of this month,” he said.