Khairul Aming defends Rembayung SOP after viral seating dispute, cites child safety concerns

SHAH ALAM - Food content creator and Rembayung founder Khairul Aming has addressed a viral controversy on Threads involving a restaurant reservation dispute.

He stressed that the restaurant’s strict seating policy is driven by safety concerns rather than inconvenience or lack of empathy.

The issue surfaced after a Threads post claimed that a customer, whose sisters had flown in from Singapore, was denied entry at Rembayung after the reservation was made for four people.

The customer reportedly requested that one child be carried while another chair be added for a family member, but staff refused the adjustment in line with the restaurant’s policy.

The incident quickly sparked debate online, with users questioning why infants and children are counted in the total number of diners and criticising the restaurant’s standard operating procedures (SOP).

Responding with a detailed explanation shared on social media, Khairul Aming said the SOP was introduced after real operational experiences that raised safety risks inside the restaurant.

“People were saying the SOP is strange, over-the-top and that we lack empathy. But this SOP was not made to make things difficult. It was made to protect babies based on what we have experienced at Rembayung,” he said.

He explained that the restaurant layout includes narrow walkways where staff frequently carry hot food and glass drinks between tables and that accommodating strollers without counting them in the reservation could create safety hazards.

“If there are strollers placed in the middle of walkways, imagine hot food or drinks being carried around. If anything spills, it could endanger the baby,” he said.

Khairul Aming added that while the restaurant previously allowed flexibility, it led to unintended consequences, including children of varying ages being carried into the dining area, which created further safety and behavioural issues.

“When children are carried, especially older ones, they move a lot, knock over plates and can even break glass. It becomes a safety issue not just for them, but for everyone around them,” he said.

He also addressed suggestions that baby chairs could simply be added without counting infants as part of the reservation. Khairul Aming said this created problems for other diners due to space constraints and cleanliness concerns.

“Children naturally spill food and drinks. If a baby chair is placed next to another table, it affects the comfort of other customers. We have to be fair to everyone,” he said.

On the issue of flexibility, he noted that previous attempts to allow seat swapping between adults and children had also been misinterpreted online, leading to negative narratives about the restaurant.

“We allowed it before, but it got spun into a story that babies were left outside or treated unfairly. That is not true. The intention is always safety first,” he said.

The Rembayung founder also emphasised that while the policy may appear strict, it was introduced after repeated incidents and is necessary to ensure smooth operations, especially given the restaurant’s high daily booking volume.

“We are fully booked for weeks ahead. Without clear SOPs, it is impossible to manage 1,000 customers a day safely and fairly,” he said.

He added that although the policy may result in some lost revenue, the priority remains child safety and overall dining comfort.

“We are not making extra profit from this. In fact, we lose potential sales. But safety for children comes first,” he said.