Man in China allegedly urinates into hotpot at Haidilao, reported to authorities
Haidilao is on the hunt for a man who appeared to be urinating into the hotpot at one of their restaurants.
People doing unhygienic things in restaurants is sadly common — we've seen kids licking communal tongs and men putting their saliva onto sushi meant for others.
But this video may take the cake in terms of the disgust it invokes.
Chinese netizens were recently shocked after a clip made its rounds on social media, showing a man at a Haidilao outlet, standing on a circular table and seemingly urinating into the hotpot.
Laughter could be heard in the background.
On March 6, the restaurant chain commented on the video, stating that they had reported it to local authorities in order to find its source.
"Regardless of whether it was staged or not, we will resolutely investigate the legal responsibilities of the people involved in accordance with the law," the comment continued.
Haidilao also urged netizens not to share the video to "maintain a clean cyberspace".
PHOTO: Screengrab/YouTube/CTS News
The account that uploaded the video was banned for violating guidelines.
In response to a query by Tide News posing as a concerned customer, a Haidilao representative confirmed: "We have already reported the incident and will actively co-operate with the relevant public authorities in handling the case."
A lawyer told the Chinese publication that the video's content may constitute an act of provocative behaviour, which violates Article 26 of China's Public Security Penalties Law, and may incur a sentence of five to 10 days in administrative detention.
However, the punishment would be more severe if it reached a certain level of virality.
Fraudulent claims at Haidilao
This isn't the first time Haidilao customers have broken the law.
Sina News reported that three men went to an outlet in Beijing in March 2024 and claimed to have spat out a piece of glass found in sesame seasoning. They received their meal for free and 2,500 yuan (S$460) in compensation from the restaurant, which later made a police report.
A police investigation discovered that the same group had made fraudulent claims at five Haidilao outlets over five months, allegedly defrauding the restaurants of over 10,000 yuan.
They were detained by Beijing police on suspicion of extortion.
drimac@asiaone.com
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