Overflowing tray return rack in Kembangan draws attention after cleaner falls ill, leaves early

Overflowed tray return rack in Kembangan caused by cleaner falling ill during shift

A tray return rack overflowing with plates and cutleries at a Kembangan coffee shop drew attention and criticism online for the coffee shop and its cleaner.

The incident was shared on the Complaint Singapore Facebook page on the afternoon of 25 Oct.

In the post, a photo showed the tray return area so overloaded with used crockery that it had spilled onto the ground.

The OP identified the location as Block 110 Lengkong Tiga, captioning the photo: “This is 1st world mentality.”

Many netizens weighed in on the issue in the comments.

One commenter noted that customers were following the rules by clearing their tables, attributing the problem to cleaners not emptying the tray return areas quickly enough.

They felt action should be taken against the establishment’s owner to address the issue.

Another commenter agreed that the customers were not at fault. They said that while tray returns are required, customers might resort to stacking plates on the floor if the rack is full.

However, some users felt the coffee shop alone shouldn’t take the blame, saying that, as a common area, keeping it tidy was “everybody’s business”.

They argued that customers should exercise basic etiquette, pointing to the cutlery on the floor as proof that some patrons carelessly threw their trays on the ground.

The commenter suggested that a “not our business” mindset was contributing to the problem.

Incident reportedly due to cleaner’s illness

When an 8world News journalist visited the coffee shop on the evening of 26 Oct, the tray return area was clear and clean, despite the crowd.

The 28-year-old cleaner, Rohit, told 8world News on 25 Oct that he arrived at work at his usual time of 8am.

However, feeling unwell, he informed his cleaning company and went home to rest.

The company arranged a temporary replacement for him, but the substitute cleaner was unable to clear the dishes in time.

A regular patron, Ms Chen (transliterated), confirmed that she noticed Rohit looking unwell that day.

She described him as a diligent and efficient worker who usually kept the tray return area clear of any piled-up dishes.

Ms Chen expressed hope that those online would understand Rohit’s situation, noting that this was reportedly the first time such an incident occurred and was through no fault of his own.

The person in charge of the beverage stall added that the cleaners were employed by a cleaning company, not the coffee shop directly.

He also shared that the coffee shop only experiences high traffic during lunch and dinner, and that this kind of situation had never happened before.

Also read: S’porean questions difference between ‘Halal’ & ‘Strictly for Halal’ tray return, netizens debate meaning

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Featured image adapted from Valentine Ong on Facebook and 8world News.