Chicken shop owner kicks up a stink with Transport NSW claiming they’ve destroyed his entire business with one outrageous move

By NICK WILSON FOR DAILY MAIL AUSTRALIA

Published: 16:56 BST, 22 April 2025 | Updated: 18:36 BST, 22 April 2025

The owner of a much-loved chicken shop is clucking mad over a bureaucratic decision that he claims has driven away customers and ruined his livelihood. 

Frank, the owner of Albasha Charcoal Chicken in Mount Druitt, in Sydney’s west says business was booming until Transport for NSW installed a demountable building on a small patch of green space outside the restaurant.

The makeshift tea room and toilet facility serves 400 bus drivers based at a nearby depot during their breaks.

Frank is now struggling to keep the business afloat. 

‘Business was great, this shop used to be full of people,’ he told A Current Affair. 

‘Outside, people loved to sit, especially at night time.’

Apart from blocking the view, Frank claimed customers have also been turned off by the stench coming from the toilets. 

‘You can’t do anything about it and it’s ruining the business, to be honest,’ he said. 

Albasha Charcoal Chicken owner Frank (pictured) claims the neighbouring toilet block has  ‘ruined’ his business

 Frank said the makeshift tea room and toilet facility not only blocks the view of the restaurant but also drives customers away

‘Either I go away or it goes away.

‘We can’t both stay in the same place.’ 

Hailing from Lebanon before he moved to Australia 35 years ago, Frank bought the store late last year, which he runs the help of his family. 

He refurbished the restaurant and installed a bright new sign, which is now largely obscured by the toilet block. 

‘Nobody wants to eat in because of the toilet, and even takeaway when they come here, they can’t see the sign,’ Frank said. 

Loyal customers agreed.

‘You can’t put a toilet in front of the food shop… because people, when they see a toilet here, the boss loses customers,’ a diner told the program.

It’s not the only business that’s been impacted.

Joseph, the owner of a neighbouring aquarium, described the new addition as ‘absolutely unacceptable’. 

‘It’s no good,’ Joseph said. 

The demountable dominates the green space outside the store where Frank’s customers once enjoyed sitting down to enjoy their meals

Transport for NSW acting coordinator general Barbara Wise apologised for the inconvenience that it has caused but said there were no other viable locations for the facilities. 

‘We appreciate that this is a difficult situation,’ she said.

‘The reality is we looked around the whole precinct and there wasn’t anywhere else to place these temporary facilities.’

Daily Mail Australia contacted Transport for NSW for further comment. 

While the toilet block is expected to be dismantled later this year, Frank is unsure whether his chicken shop will survive.

‘Nobody loves to eat when there’s a toilet next to them,’ he said. 

‘Unfortunately, nobody cares.’

The makeshift bus driver facility on the patch of grass (pictured prior to be erected) also ruins the view of neighbouring businesses

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Chicken shop owner kicks up a stink with Transport NSW claiming they’ve destroyed his entire business with one outrageous move

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