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The incident allegedly happened at Punggol Coast Hawker Centre at around 11.30am on Thursday (May 14).
PHOTO: Reddit/Goodestguy21
PUBLISHED ON May 14, 2026 7:25 PM BY Sean Ler
A photograph showing over 16 seats "choped" at Punggol Coast Hawker Centre, close to lunch hour on Thursday (May 14), has sparked a growing discussion on social media on the uniquely Singaporean "culture".
The use of personal items such as tissue packets to reserve, or "chope" a table or seat while one goes to buy food is a long-standing but contentious cultural norm here.
From time to time, such occurrences would creep up in discussions on social media or chat groups.
And it seems the culture is not confined to Singapore, with food court patrons in Japan known to have a similar practice.
Some foreign visitors, perhaps noting Singapore's reputation as a safe city for tourists, have even used iPhones to "chope" seats at a cafe.
"Hawker centre is a shared space. If your group is not there yet, don't make other patrons pay for your poor timing."
The user's comment received more than 170 up votes from other Redditors.
Some users also speculated that those involved may have been from a local small and medium enterprise (SME), with others suggesting they may have held an event in the vicinity.
"This is fine if the employees are actively queueing for food at that moment. It is not fine if the seats are 'pre-booked' for whatever event," wrote user xMagnusx82 in response to the speculation.
Then there were others who quipped that they would simply have sat down if they encountered the situation and there were no other seats available.
The agency added that there are also no initiatives such as "chope-free" zones in hawker centres.
However, NEA also encouraged hawker centre patrons to be considerate to others.
singapore
16 seats 'choped': Netizens discuss inconsiderate behaviour at Punggol Coast Hawker Centre
While it is not illegal to do so, such actions have sparked discussions on inconsiderate behaviour
The incident allegedly happened at Punggol Coast Hawker Centre at around 11.30am on Thursday (May 14).
PHOTO: Reddit/Goodestguy21
PUBLISHED ON May 14, 2026 7:25 PM BY Sean Ler
A photograph showing over 16 seats "choped" at Punggol Coast Hawker Centre, close to lunch hour on Thursday (May 14), has sparked a growing discussion on social media on the uniquely Singaporean "culture".
The use of personal items such as tissue packets to reserve, or "chope" a table or seat while one goes to buy food is a long-standing but contentious cultural norm here.
From time to time, such occurrences would creep up in discussions on social media or chat groups.
And it seems the culture is not confined to Singapore, with food court patrons in Japan known to have a similar practice.
Some foreign visitors, perhaps noting Singapore's reputation as a safe city for tourists, have even used iPhones to "chope" seats at a cafe.
'Hawker centre is a shared space'
Reddit user PocketMists described the Thursday incident as akin to a HDB BTO launch for table space: "One person reserving one seat is already debatable. Reserving multiple seats with water packets with nobody showing up during lunch hour is just selfish."Hawker centre is a shared space. If your group is not there yet, don't make other patrons pay for your poor timing."
The user's comment received more than 170 up votes from other Redditors.
Some users also speculated that those involved may have been from a local small and medium enterprise (SME), with others suggesting they may have held an event in the vicinity.
"This is fine if the employees are actively queueing for food at that moment. It is not fine if the seats are 'pre-booked' for whatever event," wrote user xMagnusx82 in response to the speculation.
Then there were others who quipped that they would simply have sat down if they encountered the situation and there were no other seats available.
No penalties
In response to messages circulating on social media in April 2025, claiming that there are penalties for seat reservation at hawker centres, the National Environment Agency (NEA) clarified that such claims are false.The agency added that there are also no initiatives such as "chope-free" zones in hawker centres.
However, NEA also encouraged hawker centre patrons to be considerate to others.
