Cairo: A patron and his friend last week sat inside a restaurant serving Chinese food, in the Saudi city of Jeddah, waiting for what they thought would be a sumptuous meal.

But they were in for a stomach-churning surprise.

When the ordered meal was served, the pair were appalled at the sight of cockroaches streaming out of the food, Saudi news portal Sabq has reported.

The customer lodged a complaint against the restaurant with authorities in Jeddah, in western Saudi Arabia. In response, the city’s authorities imposed a fine of 500 Saudi riyals (about Dh500) on the restaurants due to poor cleanliness standards, the paper said.

The complainant described the fine as too lenient, calling for a tougher penalty against the restaurant. There was no comment from the local authorities.