KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 5 — More than a year after Penang authorities announced a ban on foreign workers cooking 13 traditional hawker dishes, food operators on the island say uncertainty continues to hang over their kitchens — even as many quietly admit that strict enforcement could cripple their businesses.
Several hawkers told The Star, which first reported the issue, that foreign workers remain essential to daily food preparation, particularly as local labour has become harder to secure.
While the ban has yet to be enforced, operators say the lack of clarity has left them unsure how to plan staffing or expand their businesses.
Transfer Road coffeeshop owner Seeni Mohamed Sheikh Abidin, who sells pasembor, mee sotong and char kuey teow (basah) — all dishes listed under the restriction — said he could not imagine running his stall without foreign workers.
“I can’t imagine running my eatery without foreign workers in the kitchen,” said Seeni, who has operated his business for two years.
He added that local workers were increasingly reluctant to take up kitchen jobs, preferring other forms of employment.
“As the owner and person who prepares the food, I make sure the quality is top-notch.
“I won’t ask my foreign workers to cook unless they have been trained by me.
“If they cook poorly, I’m the one who will suffer from bad business.”
Nasi lemak seller Razman Ali echoed the concern, saying that staffing pressures were already squeezing small operators.
“Locals demand high salaries and extensive benefits, and as a small coffeeshop owner, I simply cannot meet those expectations,” he said.
Razman urged the local authority to conduct further research before formalising any ban, warning that poorly designed rules could harm hawkers and the wider food industry.
A chee cheong fun vendor, who declined to be named, questioned whether some of the listed dishes should be classified as requiring skilled cooking at all.
“Ingredients can be prepared by the owners while the foreign workers just combine the items or plate the food up — no actual cooking or frying involved, only basic preparations,” she said, adding that dishes such as chee cheong fun, nasi lemak and pasembor should not be included.
According to The Star, the Penang Island City Council (MBPP) previously identified 13 hawker dishes that foreign cooks are not allowed to prepare at hawker stalls, food courts or coffeeshops.
The list includes asam laksa, kuey teow soup, Hokkien mee, kari mee, wan tan mee, loh bak, char kuey kak and oh chien.
The restriction does not apply to cafes, restaurants, hotels or franchise outlets serving the same dishes, a distinction that has also raised questions among small-scale operators.
When contacted, Penang local government committee chairman Jason H’ng Mooi Lye said the ban applies only to premises and complexes owned by MBPP and is still under review.
“Since 2016, foreign nationals have not been allowed to cook these 13 hawker dishes,” he said, adding that the city council was still studying whether to gazette the ban as part of new by-laws.
Operators who breach the rule would be issued a notice and could have their licences revoked, he added.
For now, enforcement remains absent — but hawkers say the question is not whether foreign workers are involved in food preparation, but whether the system can function without them.
