It's not just chicken

FUNKE ADETUTU

Even as I write this, it is still difficult explaining what held me at Marina, Lagos last Saturday. I was there till about 7.40 pm, even though it was such an ungodly hour to be on that road alone. You see, I was actually waiting for a co-traveller that evening when I decided to seek refuge at Chicken Licken fast food restaurant, situated inside the Oando filling station.
As I entered the eating area, I was torn between placing an order for a drink or ice cream and going to the ‘little girls’ room. I made a split-second decision to opt for the latter, but what I encountered surprised me.
“Where is the loo?” I asked one of the waiters.
“It’s over there,” he answered, pointing at a door in a corner on the far right.
“Where?” I asked again since I couldn’t make anything out of where he pointed at.
“Let me lead you,” he offered, after which he led me towards a long, dark corridor. I was taken aback when I realised that darkness had engulfed the whole passageway.
“There is no light here,” I observed, a little frightened.
“Yes, there is no power in the mall,” he replied.
“How possible is that when there is power in here?” I queried, demanding an explanation.
It was surprising to discover that the toilets were located in the adjoining mall; thus the source of power in the mall where the eating area was located was different from that of the toilets.
While the young man was busy with his explanations, a strong wind blew across the corridor, leaving a disgusting odour in its wake. “This place stinks,” I complained to the waiter while holding my breath. “And you expect people to walk in here to eat in this kind of atmosphere, no disinfectant for the toilets, no air freshener, nothing?”
This time, the waiter had no reply for my questions. Perhaps, he actually realised they had done badly in that respect. He opened his mouth to say something but the words refused to come out. He probably knew there was just nothing to say that would convince me.
I returned to my seat to join to my co-traveller who just came. Like me, she was tired and and needed a drink. But the bad odour oozing from the toilet would not let us stay.
“This is serious. I don’t think we can stay in here,” my friend said.
“We can’t,” I agreed with her.
“You see, the last time I was here,” my friend said while narrating her ordeal, “I was asked to use another toilet behind the building. When I got there, I could not use the convenience because it’s a place used by area boys. I asked myself, ‘Why do I have to do that?’ I could not use it because it stank badly.”
My friend is just one of the many people who have complained about the toilet at this branch of Chicken Licken. Though it’s understandable that getting a good convenience might be a bit challenging in a central business district like Marina, the management of the eatery ought to have taken this into consideration while planning the outlet. It’s sad that customers have to consume their food in an atmosphere saturated by stale air oozing from the toilet. Apart from the fact that it’s unhygienic, such a scenario is inappropriate for an eatery of that status. Customers should be able to breathe fresh air without any form of difficulty.
“I don’t think I’d like to come here again,” my friend said with a tone of finality. Since that was not her first experience, I could not persuade her to pay another visit. She couldn’t even linger for another second that evening; hence we retraced our steps into the cold night with our thirst.