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THE management of a nationwide franchise eatery plans to refurbish the air-conditioning system at its Kunak branch.

The owner of a Kota Kinabalu convenience store, meanwhile, will take steps to alert customers about an elevated section of the floor inside the premises.

This action follows complaints about poor ventilation at the fastfood outlet off Jalan Sungai Atas, as well as safety concerns involving the shop off Lorong Api-Api 1.

A Kunak customer complained about the inability of the public to dine at the eatery, claiming counter staff had recently been informing patrons that they could only place takeaway orders.

A Papar resident, meanwhile, hoped the relevant authorities would look into the wellbeing of customers visiting the convenience store after she tripped and fell inside the premises.

She claimed she was told by a shop attendant that a pregnant customer had previously suffered a similar fall after stumbling over the same obstruction.

These individuals provided Hotline with the relevant details regarding their grievances. The State headquarters for the franchise and City Hall were contacted separately about the matter.

A spokeswoman for the company acknowledged the stuffy conditions inside its Kunak outlet.

“The branch has three compressors and all of them have broken down,” she said, adding that each unit had a 10-horsepower capacity.

“Stand fans have been placed near the dining area on both the ground and first floors to provide some relief for customers while we work on resolving the issue with the compressors.”

She admitted that the discomfort inside the premises had persisted for several months.

“An internal matter delayed efforts to replace the compressors, but we will try to expedite the process for the benefit of our customers.

“The head of our East Malaysia outlets and our maintenance manager will be informed about the complaints raised by the Kunak public. Hopefully, this will speed up the procurement process.”

Barring unforeseen circumstances, the spokeswoman expected the air-conditioning system at the outlet to be restored by the end of the month.

With regard to the convenience store, City Hall said it was monitoring the situation to ensure the owner addressed customer safety concerns.

A spokesman for City Hall’s Building Control Department said an inspection was carried out at the premises several days after the agency was informed about the incident.

He said a representative from the management company (MC) of the commercial centre where the shop was located was also present during the inspection.

“Our personnel confirmed the presence of a rectangular slab protruding from the floor between several shelves,” he said.

“The slab reached up to calf level and there was barely enough room for shoppers to move around it.”

To make matters worse, he said first-time customers could easily miss the obstruction because both the floor and the slab were covered with the same dark-coloured tiles.

“We were made to understand that the previous tenant had been a money-changer who built the elevated section to accommodate safes. The MC representative informed our staff that the current occupant moved into the premises without carrying out renovations.

“The new tenant was apparently reluctant to remove the slab because of the amount of dust such work would generate.”

He said City Hall personnel spoke to an employee at the premises regarding the matter.

“This individual was asked to inform his or her employer about the need to place security tape around the edges of the slab. The attendant agreed to do so.

“We hope this will allow shoppers to more easily notice the obstruction in their path.”

The spokesman said the store owner had been given a grace period to comply with City Hall’s directive.

“A follow-up inspection will be conducted afterwards. Further action may be taken if we find that our instructions have not been complied with.”