KUALA LUMPUR: A restaurant owner has admitted to adding unhygienic substances, called 'special ingredients,' to the food served to customers.
The disclosure emerged when @Cikgu_Anep shared Twitter post containing screenshots of the restaurant owner's confession, which quickly went viral yesterday.
The restaurant owner claimed that people working in the hospitality industry would understand the meaning of 'special ingredients.'
"When will this influencer visit (the owner) Tom's eatery (a restaurant serving Western cuisine)? One person has already experienced the 'special ingredient' in the food. Only hotel staff know what Tom means by 'special ingredients'," he wrote.
It is understood that the restaurant owner made this confession following dissatisfaction with an influencer who provided an honest review of their establishment.
A user known as Mira Hana shed light on the meaning of these 'special ingredients,' claiming they referred to unsavory substances intentionally added to the dishes by the cooks.
"The term 'special ingredient' in the context of hotel staff refers to food that has been spat on or coughed on.
"Many restaurants practice it, and if they encounter a troublesome customer, their food may be tainted with saliva, nasal secretions, toenail clippings, and earwax.
"'Special customers' refer to demanding patrons. The 'special ingredients' are used to teach them a lesson," she explained.
Netizens expressed shock at the revelation and urged authorities to take appropriate action against the restaurant owner.
"This restaurant has always been like this. They can't handle criticism. Whenever someone politely points something out, they immediately attack them. They delete comments and block people, then claim that others are envious of them," said @hazlianaazhar.
"As someone with a background in the hotel industry, I can confirm that 'special ingredients' refer to saliva.
"In some cases, the food may even be rubbed on the floor. This is often done to rude customers or frequent complainers. However, not all hotels engage in such practices," added another user.
"If such incidents occur, they should be reported to the health authorities, as the restaurant owner openly confessed to adding these 'special ingredients' to the food," stated Twitter user @hafiyyahaya1.