Minsk Woman Films Cockroach in Café. Staff Do Not Apologise, While Many Belarusians Fail to See the Problem

Reform.news Editorial Team · 30 October 2026, 16:26

https://reform.news/en/minsk-woman-films-cockroach-in-cafe-staff-do-not-apologise-while-many-belarusians-fail-to-see-the-problem/

A Minsk woman posted a video showing a cockroach on a table at the Thierry bakery and described the staff’s rather casual reaction: the woman at the till paid little attention to it, another employee caught the cockroach in a napkin, and no one apologised.

“A traitor was found, and it was not even shy about climbing into a plate. When I tried to bring this to the staff’s attention, the girl at the till gave me an annoyed look and did absolutely nothing. Only the second girl reacted to my problem, simply catching the cockroach in a napkin as if this happened every day. I never heard an apology…” — wrote a user with the nickname mari0t._.

The post received more than 150 comments. Some users said this was not the first cockroach found at Thierry and vowed never to go there again.

“Stories about cockroaches at Thierry have been circulating for ages. It’s surprising that people are still shocked by them,” wrote _nelfya.

“I saw cockroaches at Thierry, in the shopping centre and in a standalone bakery on Peramohi Avenue several years ago. I also didn’t notice any concern from the employees,” wrote annacranberry.

 

 

Other Threads users did not see a problem: to them, cockroaches in food-service establishments are a familiar sight.

“Rats are a problem, sure. But cockroaches? Well, I don’t know. It’s just a bug. What’s there to get so upset about?” wondered darimorozova_.

What Does the Law Say?

The presence of cockroaches in food-service establishments constitutes a serious violation of sanitary and epidemiological standards. Under Article 17.5 of the Code of Administrative Offences of Belarus, an establishment can be fined up to 500 base units (22,500 rubles). The sanitary and epidemiological service has the right to suspend the operation of such establishments until the violations are rectified, and this is standard practice.

The Bakery Does Not Respond to Complaints

In the 24 hours since the post was published, the bakery has not responded to the customer’s complaint. This is consistent with its usual approach: the establishment’s social media activity is one-sided — it publishes posts but does not engage with customers. Over the past year, the bakery has not posted a single comment, despite having plenty to respond to: complaints about its service and food are frequent, and cockroaches have been spotted there before.

But this does not seem to affect the establishment’s popularity: Thierry is always packed. People like its wide selection of baked goods and affordable prices, and many are willing to put up with its shortcomings.

“I think everyone with internet access already knows about the cockroaches and unsanitary conditions there. There are dozens of stories from employees and customers. But people keep going there anyway; it’s almost always packed. So they don’t give a damn about your complaints, and they never will 🙂 […] Many people genuinely don’t care about hygiene. Some will see a cockroach, simply turn away and carry on eating,” wrote a Minsk woman using the nickname dashamarkelova_.