A Rolls-Royce Pulled Up for Lunch—and This Hawker’s Sales Took Off (WATCH)

A Singapore hawker doubled sales at his family food stall by filming a viral promotional video featuring a borrowed luxury car. The vehicle was previously tied to a major financial crime investigation, generating massive online interest. As a result, daily revenue surged past one thousand dollars.

A Singapore hawker has turned an unusual Rolls-Royce stunt into a marketing success after a viral video helped double sales at his aunt’s food stall. Muhammad Ezam Abdul Gani, 52, arrived at Upper Boon Keng Food Centre in a borrowed Rolls-Royce Phantom, creating a social media moment that drew more than 500,000 views and thousands of likes.

Ezam posted the video on TikTok on September 15. The clip showed him arriving in the luxury car before being approached and asked about his business. What appeared to be an extravagant display was actually a carefully planned promotional stunt for Seven Claypot, his aunt’s revamped stall selling claypot asam pedas.

Watch the viral video here: 

Ezam does not own the Rolls-Royce. He borrowed it from a friend, who had purchased the vehicle at an auction in July. The car had previously been linked to Singapore’s $3 billion money-laundering investigation, adding another layer of intrigue to the viral video.

The idea reportedly came from two of Ezam’s friends, including a car dealer and the vehicle’s owner. The video itself was made quickly on September 6 using an iPhone, with the entire shoot taking less than 15 minutes.

The gamble paid off. Seven Claypot was making around $600 a day roughly a week after opening on August 15. Following the viral video, daily sales jumped to more than $1,200. By the end of September, Ezam had also recovered the $35,000 he had invested in renovating the stall — much faster than his original estimate of at least nine months.

The publicity brought customers from across Singapore, including Woodlands, Jurong and Choa Chu Kang. The stall's signature claypot asam pedas, based on Ezam’s mother’s recipe, starts at $8 for stingray or red snapper tail.

The stunt also attracted criticism after Ezam briefly parked the Rolls-Royce in an accessible parking space. He explained that the car park was full and the large vehicle was difficult to manoeuvre into a standard space, while his friend moved it shortly afterwards.

Despite the attention, Ezam says he has no plans to become a social media influencer. As he put it: “The whole point of doing videos is to get people to come try our asam pedas.”