PETALING JAYA, Feb 20 — OK Chicken Rice owner Daniel Tan has been giving out free meals to hospital staff in Singapore who are battling the Covid-19 outbreak.

The selfless business owner is continuing to do so despite operating at a loss, AsiaOne reported.

Tan and his team have delivered more than 1,000 free meals so far to healthcare workers and volunteers at the National Centre for Infectious Diseases (NCID), Khoo Teck Puat Hospital (KTPH) and Singapore General Hospital (SGH), with thousands of meals scheduled for delivery to SGH and KK Women's and Children's Hospital (KKH) in the weeks to come.

Healthcare workers and transport service providers who have ferried a customer to a hospital or clinic are also treated to free meals at OK Chicken Rice's shop in Ang Mo Kio.

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To date, the shop has cooked up over 5,000 free meals for frontliners who play vital roles in curbing the spread of the virus.

A simple desire to give back to Singapore’s everyday heroes prompted Tan to kickstart the initiative even though his restaurant is still failing to make a profit.

“I guess I am not really cut out for business in the purest sense.

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“Having community spirit and speaking for those who don't have a voice always resonated with me and my wife Clara,” Tan said, adding that the shop has always struggled to meet rental costs and has shifted to different locations over the last 18 months as a result.

OK Chicken Rice’s campaign to provide free meals for healthcare workers first launched on February 10 when the shop called for donations on Facebook to defray the costs of the food.

Each donation of S$3 (RM9) would chip in towards a plate of extra-large roast chicken rice with otak, tofu, and braised egg, priced at S$5.90 per portion.

OK Chicken Rice would then absorb the rest of the costs which cover materials, labour, and delivery.

After receiving an overwhelming response from the public, the shop changed its free meal plan to a cheaper S$4 version as the costs had “exceeded the boundaries” of their budget.

“We have changed the formula to a more sustainable one. If the public supports us, we will be happy to continue,” Tan told AsiaOne.

Nearly S$20,000 has been raised since the campaign kicked off and social media users have been hailing Tan for his kind-hearted initiative.

“Great work Daniel! Thank you for taking the effort to make it possible for our medical professionals,” wrote Bernard Teo on Facebook.

“That's awesome! Really love your heart for giving, sharing, and caring,” said Merv Yaw.