SINGAPORE, March 3 — A call for kindness at the entrance of the Kampong Glam Ramadan Bazaar in Singapore has ignited a lively argument over how far food reviewers should go, after a banner urging social-media users to avoid posting negative comments went viral.
The sign, which went viral on social media, tells visitors who enjoyed their meals to share praise publicly, but asks unhappy customers to raise complaints privately.
“We strive for perfection, but we are only human,” the banner reads.
“If you feel inclined to leave a negative review, we humbly ask for the opportunity to make it right first… Be human first, influence later.”
The message, accompanied by a reference to Islamic teachings on compassion, was put up by Sheikh Ali Redha, the 43-year-old owner of tea shop Tarik on Arab Street.
A former Cathay Pacific Airways flight attendant and long-time bazaar participant, he also runs Gohed Gostan by Tarik, which serves teh tarik and cheese wheel pasta.
Sheikh told Singapore-based news organisation 8days the sign had nothing to do with bad reviews of his own business.
Instead, it was partly informed by last year’s very public tussle between vendor Frank On Wheels and an influencer who slapped its food with a 1/10 rating.
“It’s getting more common recently. I feel uneasy about this kind of thing,” he said, adding that he had wanted to put up such a message for years.
He insisted the aim is not to muzzle criticism: “These are my views, and I decided to put the sign outside my shop… It’s to spread positivity in this beautiful month of Ramadan.”
Some stallholders welcomed the plea. One seller, Zabidi Abdul Samando, told 8days that harsh reviews can hit small businesses hard and that “taste is subjective”.
But others have bristled. Influencer Zahir Latif, known as @popculturebf, criticised the banner as “religious gaslighting” and “performative”, arguing that paying customers have every right to speak frankly about what they eat.
Negative feedback, he said, still provides “data to collect”, and shielding businesses from scrutiny only ensures “your demographic will eventually just be first-time patrons who will never return”.
Zahir also questioned why the sign appeared only during Ramadan.
Sheikh countered that the fasting month brings peak bazaar-review traffic — and, with it, the sharpest disputes.
“We have to start somewhere,” he said.
“Being an influencer is not the number one priority in life; it’s to be nice to people.”
Whether the message has softened online criticism remains unclear.
Sheikh said he hasn’t checked.
“If it has impacted people, then I would be very proud. If not, then okay… It’s just to create awareness,” he added.
