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Love him or hate him, there is no denying that people are very intrigued by Lucky Plaza’s viral nasi ayam goreng seller. The hawker, who goes by Shafiie, made headlines for running his inherited eatery, Fiie’s Cafe, like the iconic ‘Soup Nazi’ from Seinfeld . Diners who don’t follow his house rules, like not hogging tables, get a no-holds-barred tongue lashing from him. Some customers were so incensed by his curtness, Shafiie tells 8days.sg , they challenged him to fights. But he also has his own pool of very devoted regulars, who maintain that he is simply a no-nonsense man who prioritises efficiency over customer service. Despite his haters, his business is now so popular that he has opened two more coffeeshop outlets called Mr Grumpy by Fiie’s Cafe in Toa Payoh and, most recently, Holland Drive . No part of this story or photos can be reproduced without permission from 8days.sg . 1 3 Holland Drive outlet sold out in 4 hours after opening Some of Shafiie’s critics opined that they will avoid patronising his stall, but it didn’t stop his latest Holland Drive outlet from selling out in just four hours after opening for the day, with long queues during lunchtime. The stall soft opened last Friday (Apr 26), and officially operates from 11am to 8pm daily. It is run by hired staff, while Shafiie is based at his flagship Lucky Plaza eatery. “[Customers] won’t get scolded [at my coffeeshop outlets], ’cos they can sit anywhere,” he shared, adding that he doesn’t drop by his outlets “that often” as he is busy working at Lucky Plaza. But he expressed that he will “find time whenever to drop by”, or “if there is a situation that requires me to be there”. 2 3 “Is it because he’s not here, that’s why the queue is so long?” asked our colleague, who had visited the Holland Drive outlet for a peaceful plate of nasi ayam. He explained: “[Shafiie’s] infamous attitude makes me not want to go to Lucky Plaza.” This sentiment is echoed by another customer. “He said he patronises Holland Drive because Grumps is not here,” our colleague reported. 3 3 Less scary vibes at coffeeshop outlet Under ex-bouncer Shafiie’s vigilant eye, customers during peak hours at Lucky Plaza are expected to state their orders succinctly to avoid holdups. But our colleague observed: “People at Holland Drive are braver. Ask for extra rice or dilly-dally with their orders. The staff was also nice. They called people 'brother' and a lot of 'please' and 'thank you'." When 8days.sg asked Shafiie if he had specially trained his staff to be more customer-oriented at his outlets, he responded sassily: “Of course lah. The only bad person is me.” Mr Grumpy by Fiie’s Cafe is at #01-75 S-11 Coffeeshop, 43 Holland Dr, S270043. Open daily 11am-8pm, or till sold out. www.instagram.com/mistergrumpyfriedchicken Photos: Yip Jieying No part of this story or photos can be reproduced without permission from 8days.sg . 8days.sg is now on #tiktok! Follow us on www.tiktok.com/@8dayseat