Owner of Raj restaurant speaks out after customer finds cockroach in food

Imagine eating out at a local restaurant and you find a cockroach in your food. This is what Thanisha Sewpersad’s brother allegedly experienced at The Raj Indian Restaurant in Montecasino.

Sewpersad said on 17 May in a Facebook post that her family went to a restaurant and her brother found a cockroach in his food. “The restaurant manager refused to let my brother into the kitchen, so who knows the condition of the kitchen. The manager then just laughed it off and said, ‘Oh these things happen’! On top of all this, the manager insisted that my family pay for their meal,” Sewpersad claimed.

She added that they have previously been allowed to view restaurant kitchens when their orders were wrong or if they found non-food items in their meals.

“For a manager to say ‘these things happen’ makes you wonder how many times this has happened or if they have taken out insects from food before they serve you. After this ordeal, I advise other community members to please watch what they eat,” Sewpersad expressed.

When contacted for comment, the owner of the restaurant, Dr Arun Jairath explained that the incident happened just after they had had pest control in. “As a medical doctor, I understand the importance of following pest control regulations and how important it is for our customers, and it is with great sadness that this incident occurred,” Jairath said.

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He added that his staff members were trained to handle any matter regarding the maintenance of the restaurant and dealing with customers. “I believe that my manager did a good job of addressing the situation with the concerned customer who found a cockroach in his food. We even offered to pay for their food which was over R1 000, the [claim] that they paid for their food is untrue,” Jairath said.

He said they have also offered the customer the opportunity to come back to their restaurant and view their kitchen.

Jairath explained that they own a group of restaurants in the country and have been in the business for over 20 years, and said they would not survive in the industry if they did not have clean kitchens. “We take pride in providing good hygiene and service to our customers,” Jairath stressed.

The marketing manager of Montecasino, Debbie Combrink said they were extremely concerned about the incident and immediate action will be taken with the restaurant owner. She concluded, “Whilst hygiene regulation is the tenant’s responsibility, Montecasino commissions regular hygiene audits by a third party… to ensure the best quality experience for our guests.”

Have you ever found something strange in your food while eating out? Share your views on the Fourways Review Facebook page.