(Adnkronos) – China’s largest hotpot chain, Haidilao, has announced that it will compensate the more than 4,000 customers who dined at one of its Shanghai branches, unaware that two teenagers had urinated inside the restaurant’s pots. The incident, which took place in a private room, was captured in a video that soon went viral on social media. According to police, the two 17-year-olds were drunk at the time of the act and were stopped shortly after.
The restaurant chain initially apologized publicly, stating that it had replaced all hotpot equipment and sanitized dishes and utensils. The episode dates back to the end of February, but management only became aware of it days later, when the video began circulating online. The company admitted that staff on duty that evening did not intervene to stop the two boys. In addition, it also apologized for taking more than a week to identify the location involved, as Haidilao has dozens of branches in Shanghai.
In the chain’s restaurants, each customer uses their own pot to cook their food, and broths are not reused. However, it is unclear whether, in this case, the contaminated equipment was properly sanitized before being reused. “We understand that no amount of compensation can erase the inconvenience caused to our customers, but we take full responsibility,” the company said in a statement. Haidilao has announced that all customers who dined at the branch in question between February 24 and March 8 will receive a full refund, plus cash compensation equal to ten times the amount spent.
