SINGAPORE — When Ms Grace Ke, 32, and Mr Joshua Kho, 37, found out from friends and family that they were featured in a viral TikTok video for clearing their trays and crockery at a Malaysian cafe, the couple was bewildered that their actions had generated such a buzz in the first place.

For Ms Ke, a Singaporean freelance designer, it was simply no big deal for her and her husband to clean up after themselves and help the cafe’s staff members clear the soiled utensils on the adjacent table.

Little did they expect that their actions would make them overnight stars, after the Kopi and Kueh cafe in Port Dickson, Malaysia, put up the security camera footage of the couple on TikTok on Dec 6. 

The cafe had done so to show their appreciation to the couple, writing in the captions that they hope for more customers like Ms Ke and Mr Kho.

As of Dec 15, the video has garnered more than 93,600 views, with many social media users heaping praise on the duo for going the extra mile, saying that more diners should be like them.

In Singapore, diners have been required to clear their trays and crockery at hawker centres since September 2021, and at coffee shops and food courts since January 2022. Failing to do so could attract a warning or a fine.

Seeking to downplay her deeds as what any regular person would do, Ms Ke said jokingly to TODAY a week after the incident that if she were ever to be in the limelight, it would have to be something “more meaningful” than clearing trays.

“I didn’t expect to go viral for something that’s just second nature,” she said.

Ms Ke said she and her husband, who works in the IT industry, were on a four-day holiday in Port Dickson and had stopped at the cafe on Dec 6, the first day of the trip, for coffee.

At the cafe, she recalled spotting a sign put up by the cafe encouraging patrons to clean up after themselves. After their drinks, Ms Ke and Mr Kho duly returned their trays and crockery, which was something that the couple would do regardless of any house rules or state laws.