Thousands of diners to be compensated after men urinate in hot pot
More than 4,000 diners will be compensated after two men allegedly urinated in broth at a hot pot outlet in Shanghai.
Chinese hot pot giant Haidilao confirmed the offer after a video showing two men urinating into the broth of their hotpot while dining in a private room at one of its restaurants started circulating online late last month.
The incident occurred on February 24 but Haidilao said on Wednesday it only became aware of the issue four days later and could not initially determine the time and location.
The company later confirmed the location is in downtown Shanghai on March 6.
It said the case revealed a lack of training procedures, which led to staff's failure to detect the situation promptly.
"We fully understand that the distress caused to our customers by this incident cannot be fully compensated for by any means," the company said in the statement. "We are willing to do our utmost to take responsibility."
The company did not say how much it would be spending in compensation.
Haidilao reported the case to the police in Jianyang, Sichuan, where it is headquartered, and other locations.
The police have since detained two men, both 17 years old, according to a statement issued by Shanghai Police.
Haidilao filed a civil lawsuit application against them on Monday, the company's statement added.
Haidilao, which started in a small town in Sichuan in 1994, has become one of the most popular Chinese cuisine brands in the world.
As of June 2023, it had opened 1360 restaurants in China and operated more than 1,400 globally.
Super Hi International operates 122 Haidilao Hot Pot branded restaurants in 14 countries including Singapore, the United States, Canada, United Kingdom and Australia.
Chinese hot pots are large pans of boiling spiced broth set in the centre of a table that allow diners to dip and cook their own food – with thinly sliced meat often on the menu.
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