Diners leave eatery without finishing meal after cockroach appears on table, SFA investigating
A trio of diners were having a late-night meal at Seng Kee Black Chicken Herbal Soup when they were interrupted by a cockroach.
Stomper WP visited the Changi Road eatery on Oct 10, at around 1am.
He and his friends were halfway through their meal when the "big" cockroach appeared on their table.
The Stomper said: "I told an elderly cleaner but he just acknowledged it and tried to chase the cockroach away. We left immediately."
WP subsequently informed the eatery about the incident via WhatsApp, but was dissatisfied with the response he got.
"How to just change the affected dish lol," said WP, who declined to share the cost of his meal, adding: "I'm not looking for a refund."
When contacted by Stomp, Seng Kee Black Chicken Herbal Soup said a check of CCTV footage showed the cockroach "flying from outside to the table".
In CCTV footage shared with Stomp, the diners can be seen jolting at the cockroach's appearance, with one of them getting up from his seat.
The diners can also be seen informing the elderly cleaner about the incident and pointing at their table.
The eatery added: "We also tried calling the customer but did not get a response."
A spokesperson for Seng Kee Black Chicken Herbal Soup said the diners should have informed staff at the eatery about the incident after it happened.
When it was pointed out that the diners had told a cleaner, the spokesperson said the cleaner was an old man who "dunno anything".
In response to a Stomp query, the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) said it is investigating.
"Food safety is a joint responsibility," SFA added.
"While SFA puts in place and enforces the regulatory measures, food operators must play their part by adhering to good food hygiene and preparation practices.
"Food operators should also ensure their premises are clean and well-maintained. Members of the public who have concerns about food safety practices by food operators should report to SFA via the online feedback form.
"SFA takes a serious view towards food safety and will investigate all feedback alleging poor food safety practices.
"As part of the enquiry and gathering of evidence, SFA may engage the feedback provider for more details and will not hesitate to take enforcement action if sufficient evidence has been obtained."
