Every day, when the school bell rings and it’s time for recess, we all get bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, eager to be dismissed by our teachers. Upon rushing to the canteen, I like to make a beeline for the drink stalls, either Uncle Chang Cafe or Nang’s Fruit Stall. After all, a good drink can cool you down on a hot day or quench your thirst but which stall do students prefer?

Uncle Chang Cafe and Nang’s Fruit Stall are often frequented by many students, and they offer a wide variety of drinks. Thus, I set out to explore the relationships between the stall owners, which stall the student body likes most, which drinks they like from these stalls, and most importantly, why.

I conducted a survey using convenience sampling, which was distributed to the student body through announcement chats by the Class Executive Committee. A total of 34 student responses were considered at the time of writing this article.

Survey and Data Collected

Q1. How often do you buy a drink from the Y1-4 Canteen?

From the responses, I found that more than 50% of the students purchase drinks from the drinks stalls in RI more than three times a week.

Q2. Which drink do you purchase from either of these stalls? (and which are your favourites?) 

[You may choose more than one option]

The responses for this question show that students prefer to purchase packed drinks or the syrup-based squash drinks from Uncle Chang Cafe. As for Nang’s Fruit Stall, their most famous drink is Milk Tea with the option to add pearls.

When the respondents were asked why they chose to patronise Nang’s Fruit Stall, the most common responses were:

1. Their drinks are freshly made, unlike the syrup-based squash drinks or packed drinks from Uncle Chang Cafe
2. Juice from the Nang’s Fruit Stall is fresh, delicious, and healthier 
3. Shorter queues at Nang’s Fruit Stall

When the respondents were asked why they chose to patronise Uncle Chang Cafe, the most common responses were:

1. They have a greater variety of drinks ranging from packed, to freshly brewed and syrup-based squashes
2. Drinks are sweeter hence they taste better 
3. Their drinks are cheaper (Eg. Milk Tea is 80 cents at Uncle Chang Cafe vs 1 dollar at Nang Fruit Stall)

Interviews and the stalls’ backstory

Before revealing the final results of which stall students find better, I would like to state my own opinion and some backstories that were shared with us during the interviews that I conducted with Auntie Nang and Auntie Chang.

^ Side View of our school’s canteen (Credits: Google)

During our interview with Auntie Nang, she told us that she has noticed the lines at their stall are comparable to those of the other stalls in RI. Additionally, she feels that she has a cordial relationship with Uncle and Auntie Chang, as she sells juices and bubble tea, while Uncle Chang sells packed drinks and syrup-based squashes. She also mentioned that she considers her Milk Tea with Pearls and Juices to be her star product.

During our interview with Auntie Chang, she agreed that she has a cordial relationship with Auntie Nang. She said that her stall was in RI before the Fruit Stall, and used to sell jellies, fruits and juices. However, when the fruit stall was introduced, they stopped selling jellies, cut fruit, and juices to avoid overlapping products. Back then, the fruit stall also used to sell some snacks, making the two stalls very similar in nature and caused both stalls to suffer in terms of profits. She added that after discussions with the school management, the stalls adjusted their menus to avoid an overlap, which allowed both stalls to thrive while serving their own specialities. Ever since then, they have each made an effort to avoid selling similar food items, with the only two common items being bean curd and milk tea. Furthermore, Auntie Chang stated that Year 5 and 6 students also visit their stall frequently. These students told her that they like her stall better since her drinks are cheaper than those at some other stalls.

I would also like to mention that, in my opinion, the best drink at Uncle Chang Cafe is the Matcha Latte, while Nang Fruit Stall’s standout is the Avocado Shake!

Final Result

*Now the moment that you have been waiting for, the vote for the Better Drinks stall in RI (Y1-4)!*

Q3. Which stall do you think is better?

Based on the students’ choices, 19 out of the 34 students surveyed feel that Uncle Chang Cafe is the best drink stall in RI!

Limitations and other factors to consider

Here are the limitations and some factors that may have contributed to bias in the survey:

1. The survey was distributed across the school and conducted using convenience sampling, allowing anyone who wished to complete the form to do so. As a result, there is a high likelihood of inherent bias toward Uncle Chang’s Cafe, as most respondents were from the Year 1 and Year 3 cohorts. The perspectives of the Year 2 and Year 4 cohorts may differ.

2. The survey was voluntary, meaning only students who were particularly motivated or had strong opinions about the drink stalls may have participated. This could lead to response bias, where the views of students who do not care much about the stalls or drinks were not captured.

3. The survey may not have covered all possible drink preferences or specific new drinks that students enjoy as the survey was carried out in early term 2. The focus on the more popular drinks like Milk Tea or syrup-based drinks might overlook niche or newly available seasonal favourites like the Longan ice drink at Uncle Chang Cafe, potentially skewing the results.

4. Drink purchases may fluctuate depending on the time of day, weather conditions, or day of the week. For instance, students might prefer refreshing juices on hotter days or sweeter drinks on cooler days. The survey may not account for these temporal variations in drink preferences.

5. The length of queues and wait times can greatly influence which stall the students choose, particularly during busy recess periods. If the survey was conducted during peak hours when one stall had longer queues, this could affect the responses.

6. Moreover, the data collected features only a small sample size of 34 students, which is about the same size as a class. Therefore, these responses are most likely not representative of the school’s population but only representative of the students who answered the survey.

7. Each stall has its unique features where Uncle Chang Cafe sells snacks, biscuits and dimsums other than drinks and Auntie Nang’s Fruit Stall sells fruits and jellies other than drinks. Therefore, students may be inclined towards choosing a specific stall based on convenience or preferred food choices.

I hope that you have found this comparison insightful and entertaining to read! Until the next comparison, goodbye!