Impacts
Looking closely at the comments and reports on the internet, it's clear that the public is aware of the good deeds of A-Xing Braised Pork Rice. Although the shop is located in the Zhonghe district, people from all over come to receive the meals. The owner never asks about their financial situation, as long as they have a family to feed, they can receive as many meals as they need. Sometimes the owner even helps them connect with social resources, assisting vulnerable people to seek emergency relief donations from foundations. Initially, only a few people would come to receive the A meal when the shop started offering it. However, the owner slowly spread the word through the local radio station. Due to the pandemic, the serving rate for the A meal increased significantly. Faced with outside doubts, the owner once said, "As long as the shop doesn't go under, the suspended meals will continue to be served." Fortunately, many kind-hearted people in society anonymously pay for the cost and materials of the suspended meals, allowing the love to spread even further.
Some netizens also shared that they have been regularly visiting the shop since their student days, and even after entering the workforce. They express their support for the kind act of providing love meals by paying extra without expecting any change or paying with a hundred dollar bill each time they visit.
Concerns
During the process of creating this project, we prepared a questionnaire in advance and went to nearby stores to inquire about the acceptance and thoughts regarding suspended meals. Yet, were there any issues or negative impacts caused during the process of supplying suspended meals?
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Employees are unhappy with the increased workload
Offering suspended meals at a restaurant inevitably increases the workload within the establishment. This decision by the restaurant owner may also have some impact on their income. As a result, the increased workload for employees without a corresponding salary increase can lead to some employees feeling resentful or dissatisfied.
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Restaurants expenses exceed income
Even though some restaurants are enthusiastic about providing help, the person in charge still needs to subsidize a large number of extra costs. Many owners who are willing to provide suspended meals are still concerned about whether they can make a profit or not. They will limit daily quantity measures, and even stop providing suspended meals when the expenses are greater than the income. This is also one of the most commonly raised concerns in the questionnaire survey.
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The resources are being misused and the meals cannot be provided equally to those who need the help.
Many shop owners feel that there is a lot of controversy around "how to determine who needs it", and they do not want to extend unnecessary trouble due to subjective judgment. However, they hope that when they start offering suspended meals, they can effectively allocate resources and prevent people with a mentality of taking advantage of the situation from occupying a certain number of meal portions
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Misunderstandings about suspended meals may cause people to view them in a peculiar way
Many people in Taiwan do not have a comprehensive understanding of suspended meals. The information about them cannot be conveyed to everyone accurately, either among stores or the public. In addition, many people misunderstand suspended meals as "charity" instead of timely assistance, or they think that receiving them is an inferior act and refuse to accept assistance.