Woman confronted staff over S$15 ‘cleaning fee’ at Bencoolen restaurant after friend’s vomit incident

SINGAPORE: In an incident at Al-Jilani Restaurant in Bencoolen, a woman found herself in a public spat with restaurant employees over a $15 “cleaning fee.”

The dispute unfolded after her intoxicated friend had an unfortunate episode of vomiting within the eatery premises, leading to a heated exchange with staff.

A TikTok video, shared by the user Valeroee, captured the incident as it transpired at around 2 am on Saturday (7 Oct).

In the video, the diner vehemently protested the charge, stating, “I’d rather lawsuit… I’m reporting you. You can’t just charge me $15.”

She demanded to see the establishment’s terms and conditions.

@valeroee

♬ original sound – valeroee – valeroee

In the video’s captions, the user also noted that the disgruntled diner accused the prata shop staff of lacking empathy.

The video quickly gained attention, amassing over 252.6k views.

Netizens’ mixed reaction

Online reactions to the incident were mixed, with some chastising the diner for her behavior, suggesting she should have simply paid the cleaning fee to compensate the business for the disruption caused.

Certain user have also raised the possibility that the restaurant’s owner may follow the Muslim faith, potentially making it challenging for them to handle a situation involving the cleanup of a mess containing alcohol residue

Others, however, disagreed with the restaurant’s policy, deeming the $15 cleaning fee excessive.

They also questioned the necessity of such a fee, as it is presumed to be part of the restaurant’s responsibility to manage customer-related messes

Restaurant owner expresses disappointment as diner leaves without paying cleaning fee

On Sunday, Oct 8, the owner of Al-Jilani Restaurant, known as Videk told AsiaOne, they are disappointed that the diner left without settling the cleaning fee.

“It’s disappointing, but nothing new to us,” said Videk.

He emphasized that the policy had been in place for years, with other customers having complied with it.

Despite occasional incidents involving inebriated patrons, Videk asserted his commitment to maintaining the restaurant’s 24-hour operation, a tradition that has endured for three decades, due to the popularity of the nightlife in the area.