Raj's Banana Leaf Blames Staff For Dishwashing Mishap But Malaysians Are Not Having It

On Tuesday (29 May) evening, a local banana leaf rice chain went under fire for their horrific dishwashing methods following a viral video.

The 30-second video captured a bunch of employees from Raj's Banana Leaf restaurant cleaning dishes in a puddle of murky water on the road that is not a diluted version of teh tarik, kari ikan or kari ayam.

Turns out that the incident took place at the restaurant's Bangsar outlet, which is normally quite packed with customers enjoying their banana leaf rice at any time of day.

The question is, have you eaten there?

Shortly after the video made the rounds on social media, the restaurant attempted to put out the fire with an official apology on their Facebook page.

The eatery claimed that something like this "has never happened before" and blamed it on their new staff.

They even tried to salvage the situation further by offering a free two-hour buka puasa event at this very outlet in Bangsar on 31 May.

But unfortunately, the damage has been done and Malaysians are not buying Raj's Banana Leaf's apology and explanation.

Raj’s Banana Leaf fiasco got me thinking what if I’ve eaten something from contaminated serving plates & cutleries from irresponsible eateries but they just got away with it? ?
— Connor (@akidzaid) May 29, 2018

Raj's banana leaf? More like Raj's explosive diarrhea
— Name: Name (@KeviNiveK97) May 29, 2018

Good luck to everyone who now has to tell their mom that they don't eat at Raj's Banana Leaf shop, and that they have been eating at clean places- probably several times today. Love you, ma.
— Fayadh Wahab (@fayadhwahab) May 30, 2018

The thing with raj’s banana leaf is ... they apologize for the misconduct and lack of hygiene but continue to invite people to buka puasa there. After what I’ve seen?!! NA AH
— N A O M I ? (@elorakdshn) May 30, 2018

It's culture. If the owner/manager doesn't care, why would your employees? https://t.co/99mEWGSCObvia @GoogleNews
— Reuben Y. (@TheReubie) May 30, 2018

Raj's Banana Leaf, Bangsar gets caught washing dishes using roadside water, and then apologises before offering free Buka Puasa to all. Lol what? Just close down please.
— Min (@MuhaiminZ) May 29, 2018

I don’t get ... why are you blaming your new staff over the matter. You should have given them ample training and continuous checks. Free buka puasa? I dont think so. And I really think I will ever frequent Raj. https://t.co/MtQm429fUt
— Zaza Zainon (@ladyczarczar) May 29, 2018

This raj’s banana leaf incident makes me want to head over to the kitchen of every restaurant before placing a bloody order
— Keanu Azman (@keanuazmann) May 30, 2018

Since then, the Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) health inspectors went to work immediately and shut down the premises today.

DBKL Health and Environment Department deputy director Chandrakant Patel told The Star that it is indefinite how long will this closure last.

The officials will need to review the restaurant's cleanliness and hygine until further notice.

Well, it's safe to say that there will be no free banana leaf rice for buka puasa here tomorrow lah.