Who Is Zulrahim Yusof

A local restaurant owner believes that his action of letting customers pay what they can will help create a more caring society. 

Zulrahim Yusof, 45, said customers at his Arabic themed Al-Hanin Restaurant, located in Taman Rinting here, were free to pay at their will every Friday as part of a special promotion he started from Sept 15.

He said the idea came about after he met an elderly man and had invited him and his family to dinner at his restaurant.

“He told me that he could not afford to take his family out for a meal and that saddened me because there are many like him who could not take their family out for meals due to financial constraints,” he said.

Zulrahim, who has been involved in the food business since 2006, said he had discussed the matter with his friends who told him that there there were restaurants in the United States that offer customers a choice of paying what they could for their meal.

He added that as a Malaysian, he wanted to help his fellow countrymen fill their stomachs with good food.

“On the first day, my restaurant was packed with customers of various races and there were no empty seats from 11am to 11pm.

“Most of them were students and the needy, including single mothers, from nearby districts.

“I told them the original prices of the dishes such as mandy rice, kabsah rice or maqlubah rice served at my restaurant and that it was up to them to pay according to their means for the meal,” he said.

He said the original price for Nasi Arab served in a tray for a large group was RM60 while for a single person it was between RM12 and RM15, depending on the customer’s choice of chicken or mutton.

“I placed a large box beside the payment counter and many of my customers thought I was joking when I told them that they could pay what they want for their meal.

“I was able to get good returns through the promotion but it is not just about profit.

“Seeing the happy faces of my customers, especially the poor, was what I wanted,” he said.

He said he was planning to have such promotions on a daily basis, depending on the feedback received from customers.

“I do hope my small act will encourage my customers to lend a helping hand to those in need,” he said.