Oriental Kopi founder and managing director Datuk Tan Kian Seng has clarified that the local coffee shop chain is still designing and consolidating a new menu, following controversy over an English-only version circulating on social media.
He said the menu without Chinese translations was an existing English-language version that the chain had been using, adding that Oriental Kopi had always provided menus in different languages, including Chinese and English, to cater to customers’ needs.
Tan stressed that Oriental Kopi, a homegrown Malaysian coffee shop brand, remained committed to the country’s multicultural values of unity, mutual respect and tolerance.
He said the new menu would incorporate multiple languages into a single version to help customers from different ethnic and linguistic backgrounds better understand Malaysian food.
In a Facebook post on Saturday, Tan said the new menu was still undergoing design and consolidation, with the process of organising and printing expected to take several more weeks.
He appealed to the public to give the company time and patience as it worked to complete the updated menus.
“Language is a bridge for communication that allows us to understand one another better. There is still much for us to learn and improve, and we will continue to listen humbly to feedback and work towards doing better,” he said.
Tan also thanked the public for their concern, reminders, understanding and support, emphasising that Oriental Kopi belonged to everyone who appreciated Malaysian food.
He urged Malaysians to continue respecting and accommodating one another to preserve the country’s spirit of unity.
Deputy Agriculture and Food Security Minister Datuk Chan Foong Hin also offered words of encouragement in the comments section, telling the company to withstand the pressure, improve and learn from the experience.
The controversy arose after a social media user claimed that Oriental Kopi had changed its menu, with the section introducing the brand presented in Bahasa Malaysia and English, while food items were listed only in English.
The post drew attention to the absence of Chinese names for the dishes, which had reportedly appeared in the previous menu.
