It is a disgusting sight to see cockroaches and rats running around in restaurants, yet many of these restaurants continue to operate around Kuala Lumpur.
Fear not, KL’s City Hall (DBKL) urge the public to complain about dirty restaurants by sending a message to 15888 immediately and a team will be dispatched to the premises within 24 hours to check.
DBKL Health and Environment Department director Dr Hayati Abdullah said there are still stubborn operators who did not fear being ordered to close down.
As taking legal action against them is too long a process, she is urging consumers not to patronise dirty outlets to put a dent in their business.
“Majority of the people continue to eat at unlicensed and dirty eateries.
“These businesses thrive because customers do not care about things that they cannot see, such as the condition of the kitchen.
“We also thought about putting up photos of the unhygienic practices outside the restaurant, but that may infringe on human rights,” said Dr Hayati, adding that the best solution was for the people to insist on better hygiene standards and stop frequenting dirty restaurants.
She also said that DBKL health inspectors conducts checks everyday and major inspections are done once a week.
Some of these restaurants refuse to close even after getting notices.
“We have limited resources and cannot be keeping tabs on every restaurant every day. We have a schedule to follow,” she added.
Restaurants found with pests and with bad food handling methods, she said, would be forced to cease operation until they meet the required standard, while those with minor offences like dirty floors would be compounded.
“There were cockroaches in the premises, dirty floors and they practised bad food storage methods.
“One of the restaurant staff was also caught washing dishes by the drain in the back lane and a freezer used to keep chicken was only at a temperature of about 5°C.
“I urge the public to complain about dirty restaurants by sending a message to 15888 immediately and a team will be dispatched to the premises within 24 hours to check,” she said.