Malaysia’s 24-hour restaurants urged to reduce hours to tackle obesity issues, but locals have no appetite for change

In Malaysia, most 24-hour restaurants are mamak restaurants, along with several branches of fast food chains such as McDonalds and Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC).

During the early morning hours, Mr. Mukthahir’s mamak shop is frequented mainly by workers from the city’s 24-hour factories in the industrial park.

“They come here before or after work, depending on their shift. We adapt to that. “I’m not saying we are just providing a service…of course we are making profits at the same time,” she said.

Mamak restaurants are considered by many to be one of the cornerstones of Malaysian cuisine, selling a variety of foods at any time of the day in a casual atmosphere and at relatively affordable prices.

Malaysian favorites such as roti canai, nasi lemak and mee goreng are among their staple dishes. Many today even serve Western and Thai food.

These restaurants are usually found in city centers, near schools and universities, as well as transportation hubs. They have become a popular gathering place for watching live late-night football matches, with some of the biggest matches being shown on big screens.

Malaysian Muslim Restaurant Owners Association (Presma) president Jawahar Ali Taib Khan told ACI Prensa that these qualities help make mamak restaurants part of the country’s culture.

“People don’t go to mamak restaurants just to eat and drink, but also to socialize because of their ease of access,” he said, adding that the restaurants offer spaces for people to chat at any time of the day.

He said there were about 12,000 mamak restaurants across the country, and about half of them operated 24 hours a day.

He also denied suggestions that 24-hour restaurants are responsible for health problems in the country, saying that other factors, such as an individual’s lifestyle practices, were also a factor.

Jawahar, however, said they were ready to accept all opinions and suggestions and were willing to discuss the issue with CAP and the Ministry of Health.

University student M. Kharan, 24, told ACI Prensa that he was at a mamak after midnight almost every other day, as it was the most convenient place for him to buy food at odd hours.

He also said that Mamak restaurants were the best place to “relax” or watch sports games with his friends, as the prices were much more affordable for a student like him than in a bar or pub.

“There is also a lot of variety of food,” he added.