DBKL Has Revoked Raj's Banana Leaf Restaurant's Operating License
The license revoked only affects the Bangsar outlet and not the other branches.
By Tamara Jayne — 12 Jun 2018, 12:36 PM
Following the controversy surrounding Raj’s Banana Leaf restaurant in Bangsar last month, the eatery's license for that particular outlet has been revoked by Kuala Lumpur's City Hall (DBKL)
DBKL Licensing and Petty Traders Development Department director Anwar Mohd Zain said that the committee decided to revoke the license after much deliberation and listening to all sides of the story.
"We went through their explanation and they gave their view. We looked at all angles," he told The Star on Monday, 11 June.
"So the committee decided it is best to revoke the licence," he said, adding that the license revoked only affects the Bangsar outlet and not the other branches in Klang Valley.
It all began when a video of the restaurant's workers washing dishes in a dirty puddle went viral a few weeks ago
The restaurant's management immediately released a statement on 29 May to apologise and assured customers that it was an isolated incident by newly recruited staff.
DBKL eventually closed the outlet on 30 May and it was reported that senior personnel representing the owner were interrogated inside the shop. Workers were also seen attending a food-handling workshop after the shutdown.
Kuala Lumpur Mayor Tan Sri Mohd Amin Nordin later said that DBKL had been kind in the past, which led to many eateries having bad hygiene practices
He told StarMetro that he wanted "the place shut down permanently to send a strong message to all eateries in Kuala Lumpur".
"I want to send a strong message to everyone that this is unacceptable. We have been too kind, and that's why we have all these bad practices. This type of news is giving the city a bad name."
Last week, twenty officers from the Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya Health Department and Labour Department spent two hours inspecting the restaurant's premises
Raj's banana leaf restaurant was issued three food handling notices by the
Health Ministry for not having anti-typhoid vaccinations for its workers and for not offering food handling training, according to The Star.
The notices were issued because the restaurant was not registered with the ministry and the premises failed to be pest-free, said Health director-general Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah.