After the restaurant stands on the table, Chinese restaurant chain makes up thousands of dollars, peeing in hotpot

One of China's largest restaurant chains has promised to return thousands of customers after videos hitting a boiling hot spot, sparking public outcry. The clip recorded last month appears to show a young man standing on a table in Shanghai's Haidilao restaurant chain, urinating into a bucket of boiling soup.

The video immediately sparked backlash on social media, with users’ anger and disgust at one of the country’s most popular restaurant chains.

Haidilao confirmed the incident in a social media post Wednesday, calling it “very regretful” and adding that it is filing lawsuits against criminals.

“In the early morning of February 24, two men urinated into the pot after eating in a private room in the Haidilao branch in Shanghai's Bund,” the company said.

“Since management has never developed contingency plans and has not been trained to handle such incidents, staff at our branch offices are unable to detect any abnormalities on site or maintain the safety of the dining environment,” it said.

The restaurant said it will provide compensation for any customer of the chain's more than 4,100 orders between February 24 and March 8, which is equivalent to a full refund plus 10 times the amount.

The Shanghai police statement said two 17-year-olds (named Tang and Wu respectively) were placed in “administrative detention.”

The age for criminal liability for most crimes is 16 years old, but the age for major crimes such as murder may be as low as 12.

Haidilao, which is loved by its fresh meat, lip gloss broth and interest services, has expanded overseas in recent years, in the United States, Japan, the United Kingdom and elsewhere. However, its MEA Culpa encountered a brief shrift on Weibo, a Chinese social media network, similar to X, where users accuse the company of dragging it for weeks before confirming its error.

One commented: “Where is this (apology)? It's better to say that from the beginning.”

Others have targeted previous statements (since it appears to have been removed) that blames “maligned propagandists” for damage to the company’s reputation.

Food safety scandals used to be very common in China, and in 2008, milk formula Contaminated by industrial chemical melamine
It makes thousands of babies sick and is associated with the death of six people.

Since then, the country has made significant improvements, but misconduct in the catering industry is still breeding.

This week’s famous chicken stew restaurant chain apologized, including recycling of rotten ingredients and leftover meals, after state media revealed unhygienic customs at some of its franchises.