Haidilao, a global hotpot restaurant chain, is facing a backlash after two teenagers urinated into a broth at their Shanghai branch. The incident, which took place on February 24 in a private dining room, went unnoticed for several days. In response, Haidilao has taken significant measures to address the situation, including providing compensation to affected customers and replacing dining equipment.
The company revealed that their employees failed to stop the 17-year-old males from committing the unsanitary act. Haidilao was not alerted to the issue until four days later, prompting them to report the case to local authorities. The police in Jianyang, Sichuan, where Haidilao is headquartered, detained the responsible teens.
In an effort to reassure their patrons, Haidilao replaced all its hotpot equipment and dining utensils at the Shanghai location. Additionally, they thoroughly disinfected other crockery and utensils used in the restaurant. Importantly, no customer consumed the contaminated meal, as guests use personal hotpots for cooking at Haidilao.
Haidilao, which owns over 1,000 restaurants worldwide, has promised full refunds to those who dined at the restaurant between February 24 and March 8. Moreover, these guests will receive monetary compensation amounting to ten times their billed amount.
“We fully understand that the distress caused to our customers by this incident cannot be fully compensated for by any means,” Haidilao stated.
In addition to financial compensation, the company is committed to preventing similar incidents in the future.
“We are willing to do our utmost to take responsibility,” Haidilao affirmed in a public statement.
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