Diner finds cockroach in wanton mee, Toa Payoh hawker accuses her of putting it in to get refund

SFA stated that they are investigating the incident.

Daniel Seow | May 08, 2023, 04:20 PM

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A diner complained to the stall assistant about a cockroach that she supposedly found in her bowl of wanton noodles, only to be accused of putting the insect in the food.

The incident was recounted in a Facebook post on Apr. 27 by user Jeffrey Linus Lee, who identified himself as the diner's son.

The incident

According to Lee, his parents visited the Koufu outlet at Toa Payoh Central on Apr. 26 at around 8:40pm.

His mother ordered a bowl of wanton noodles from the Pontian Wanton Noodles stall, which she shared with her husband.

After consuming the food, she noticed a "foreign object" near the bottom of the bowl.

Upon closer inspection, the diner realised it was a cockroach.

Photo courtesy of Jeffrey Linus Lee on Facebook.

Lee's mother then informed the stall helper, only for him to accuse her of putting the cockroach in the bowl to get a refund on the meal.

The diner denied doing so.

Lee wrote: "My mom asked why would she put a dead roach in her bowl of noodles?!?"

The post added that the stall assistant shouted at his mother to lodge a complaint if she wanted to.

Although the original Facebook post did not gain traction, some internet users took matters into their own hands.

Out of the stall's 15 reviews on Google, seven were recently added within the past week.

All of the new reviews provided one-star ratings.

Refund eventually given

According to Stomp, the employee eventually gave Lee's mother a refund.

However, the man allegedly shot back with a remark, "Wah, eat until so little then ask me to refund."

Lee also told Stomp that Koufu has contacted him, stating that they have arranged for cleaning works to be done.

While they have offered him a S$20 voucher "out of goodwill", Lee is unwilling to accept it.

Stall implements regular pest control, has spoken to errant helper

A stall representative for that Pontian Wanton Mee outlet told Shin Min Daily News that they have since contacted the affected customer on Facebook.

In order to ensure the safety and quality of the food served, the stall arranges for regular pest control and quality checks, the representative shared.

The representative added that they have since spoken to the stall helper involved about proper service etiquette.

SFA investigating the matter

In response to Mothership's queries, the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) stated that they are investigating the incident.

It also encouraged members of the public to report such incidents to SFA via the online feedback form (www.sfa.gov.sg/feedback).

Top image courtesy of Jeffrey Linus Lee on Facebook.