One of the largest restaurant chains in China in soup after a video of the diners who urinate in Hotpot becomes viral

The video, filmed last month, shows a young standing on a table at a Haidilao branch in Shanghai and urinating in a boiling broth, which causes generalized disgust and concerns about food security.

The images quickly lit a violent reaction on social networks, with users condemning the violation of flagrant health in one of China’s most popular gastronomic establishments.

Haidilao responds, promises legal action

In a statement published on social networks on Wednesday, Haidilao confirmed the incident, expressing his deep regret and announcing legal actions against those responsible.

“In the early hours of February 24, two men urinated in a periodic after dinner in a private room at a Haidilao branch in the Bund in Shanghai,” said the company, referring to the exclusive district in front of the city’s sea.

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Haidilao acknowledged that his staff had not detected the act, citing a lack of contingency or training plans to handle such an unprecedented incident.

To compensate for affected customers, the company announced that it would reimburse all customers who ordered the restaurant between February 24 and March 8, a total of more than 4,100 transactions, and would offer the amount of the refund as compensation 10 times additional.

Suspicious teenagers detained

According to a Shanghai police statement, two 17 -year -old young people, Tang and Wu, have been placed in administrative detention on the law.

While the minimum age of criminal responsibility of China is 16 for most crimes, it can be as low as 12 for serious crimes as murder.

Public criticism

Haidilao, famous for its tasty broths, high quality ingredients and care service, has gained a strong international presence, with locations in the United States, Japan, Britain and other countries.

However, his delayed response to scandal caused strong criticism of Weibo, China’s main social media platform.

“Why didn’t they emit this apology immediately? Try to cover it only worsened,” said one user.

Others criticized an earlier, now eliminated statement, which accused the “malicious information Spreaders” of damaging the company’s reputation instead of addressing the problem directly.

Food security concerns in China

While the food security scandals were once unbridled in China, most of the crisis of the 2008 contaminated milk formula, which ill to hundreds of thousands of babies, government regulations have been improved since then.

However, occasional violations still arise. Just this week, a popular stoofada chicken chain issued an apology after state media exposed unhealthy practices in some of their points of sale, including the use of rotten ingredients and the reuse of leftover foods.

Haidilao’s rapid offer of compensation can help restore consumer confidence, but the scandal has already left a stain in the brand’s reputation. With public confidence in play, how Haidilao strengthens its food security protocols accordingly will be observed closely.