Police this week arrested two Vietnamese nationals behind a dubious barbecue hot plate operation they said was piggybacking off the good name of legitimate outlets and preparing sub-par food in exceedingly sub-par conditions.
Nguen Wan An, 26, and Hong Wan Mun, 30, were arrested in a sting operation on Monday after police received a complaint from Olan Moo Kra Ta, one of the local barbecue businesses the pair represented themselves as in flyers they had made up.
For the uninitiated, moo kra ta, or pork barbecue, is a popular service that sees not only the meat and sauces delivered, but a small stove for cooking them as well. Restaurants come around the next day to collect the stoves.
“A Thai restaurant owner filed a report about a week ago after receiving a complaint [from customers] about rotten meat,” Metropolitan Police Chief Pol. Maj. Gen. Sompong Chingduang told Coconuts Bangkok. Understandably annoyed that the quality of his meat was being questioned, the owner asked the customer what phone number he ordered from and — it wasn’t his.
Police then initiated their sting, calling the number on the dummied up flyer, then arresting the Vietnamese duo when they showed up with the delivery.
Turns out, the pair had been replicating flyers of known hot plate restaurants around the city, substituting their own phone number, then placing them on electric poles around town. The meals were then prepared in Ding Daeng District in a house that police told us had a decidedly unappetizing kitchen set-up.
“The kitchen was complete unhygienic, way below the Ministry of Public Health’s standards” Pol. Maj. Gen. Sompong said. “There were pots and pans left in old, moldy water for days — and flies were everywhere.” *shudder*
Upon their arrest, the perpetrators explained that they had formerly worked at a barbeque restaurant in Ayutthaya province where they had learned the barbecue recipe.
The two men have been charged with illegal entry into the country, working without permits, operating a restaurant without permission, false public advertisement, and deceiving customers. That’s the price you pay for rotten meat.
Maj. Gen. Sompong offered a pro tip for all moo kra ta lovers wanting to double check the legitimacy of a restaurant before ordering.
“When making a phone order, always ask the vendor for their official website or address. Illegitimate businesses won’t have one or will refuse to tell you. That’s how you know they have something to hide,” he said.
