Forum: Have paid turnstiles at coffee shop toilets to defray cleaning costs

The writer of the letter “Enforce cleanliness in coffee shop toilets” (Jan 10) said keeping such toilets clean is the owners’ moral duty, and that the cost will be a fraction of that of the shop, some of which have changed hands for millions. 

This may not be a fair comparison as the owners of the coffee shops are normally not the ones running the coffee shops. Most coffee shops are tenanted out to operators, who may also be earning a living by tending the drinks stall and sub-letting out stalls in the coffee shop.

I am speaking from my family experience. My late brother-in-law used to operate two coffee shops. To serve diners better, he renovated the toilets. Besides ensuring cleanliness of the coffee shop and that stallholders adhered to food regulations, his most challenging responsibility was ensuring enough manpower to keep the toilets clean, especially with irresponsible toilet users.

Perhaps coffee shops should install turnstiles at the toilet entrances to collect a fee from users to help defray the cost of manpower needed to keep the toilets clean.

Priscilla Poh Beng Hoon