Rat Sighting at Orchard Don Don Donki Shocks Shopper; SFA Investigating

Japanese supermarket chain Don Don Donki has proven immensely popular in Singapore.

So popular, in fact, that a rat was seen “shopping” at their Orchard Central branch.

Rat Spotted on Don Don Donki Dining Table

According to Shin Min Daily News, a woman named Ms Khoo was shopping at the Orchard Central shopping centre on 14 July.

At 1:30 pm, she passed by the dining area of the mall’s Don Don Donki branch.

She was shocked to find a strange diner at one of the tables: a rat.

As it was frozen, Ms Khoo initially thought it was a table decoration. A really strange one.

She took a closer look at it and found that it was definitely a real and very much alive rat.

Stunned at the sight of the unwelcome customer, she stayed there for ten minutes. Other passers-by also stopped when they noticed it.

Ms Khoo also said that the rat didn’t move, suggesting that it was scared of the crowd watching.

Indeed, a recorded video showed the rat doing its best mannequin challenge impression and staying completely still, though in a slightly different position than the photo.

To be fair, wouldn’t you get stage fright too if a dozen giants suddenly showed up outside your window and just stared?

Later on, the rodent is seen sniffing around the table, captured on video against a backdrop of alcohol bottles.

Sadly, as the typical lifespan of a rat is two to four years, they cannot legally drink.

Don Don Donki Says They Cleaned the Affected Area

After watching for ten minutes, Ms Khoo informed a Don Don Donki staff member and left.

When she returned half an hour later, the rat was nowhere to be seen and human diners were seen eating at that very table.

She recommended that Orchard Central look into where the rats were coming from, saying it would be a pity for them to contaminate the place.

When Shin Min visited the premises, the Don Don Donki employees were understandably “reluctant” to talk about the rat incident.

They confirmed the incident occurred, stating that they cleaned and disinfected the affected table.

They also mentioned being told the rat fell from the ceiling. Now that sounds very familiar indeed.

SFA Investigating the Rat Sighting

The retail business group director at Far East Organisation, which operates Orchard Central, stated that they were notified about the rat at 2:20 pm.

They reportedly took immediate action to deep clean and disinfect the area.

She added that the Far East Organisation would work with tenants to reinforce the importance of pest control.

Shin Min also queried the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) about the situation.

The SFA said that they were currently investigating the situation.

They encouraged the public to report food operators with improper hygiene standards through their feedback form.

There is no mention of whether the rat at Don Don Donki was actually caught, but we hope it’s not a repeat customer.