PETALING JAYA: Imposing a “table fee” for not ordering drinks at a coffee shop is a unique culture in Penang, said Wong Teu Hoon, president of the Malaysia-Singapore Coffee Shop Proprietors’ General Association.

In Malaysia, coffee shop is the most inexpensive place one can sit for hours inside a shop in Southeast Malaysia.

Coffee shops do not normally set a minimum charge nor table fee, Wong said in response to a Penang coffee shop which came under fire for a Facebook post to shame a customer who refused to order a drink.

Wong said coffee shops in southern part of the country and Klang Valley do not impose such fee.

He told Sin Chew Daily that such coffee shops do not only provide patrons a seat but also newspapers, fans and even radio for news broadcast.

However, he believes coffee shop operators in Penang impose “table fee” due to the limited space and expensive rent there.

He hopes patrons would understand the dilemma of these coffee shops.