He tried to justify his presence by saying he had young children in the cabin.
He reportedly refused the trip as it was too short a distance.
The crematorium will begin operations with four services daily, gradually increasing capacity in the coming months.
The affected household has been safely relocated to a temporary flat.
About 60 personnel were deployed for the operation.
A structure inside the 16m-deep shaft at the PUB worksite "failed", PUB said.
It allegedly said all their slots for the day had been booked by Singapore cars entering Malaysia.
The Cantonese-style zi char eatery started as a humble pushcart stall in 1939.
His medical registration has now been suspended.
The quick-thinking workers managed to pull the driver out from the sinkhole using a long rope.