Chinese hotpot chain Haidilao has apologized after a video of diners urinating into a hotpot broth at one of its Shanghai locations went viral. The company announced it would compensate over 4,000 customers who dined at the restaurant following the incident.
The footage, which surfaced online late last month, shows two men urinating into their hotpot while dining in a private room. Haidilao stated on Wednesday that the event occurred on February 24, but it only became aware of it four days later and initially struggled to confirm the exact time and location.
The company acknowledged shortcomings in staff training, which prevented employees from detecting the situation sooner. It confirmed the restaurant’s location in downtown Shanghai on March 6.
“We fully understand that the distress caused to our customers by this incident cannot be fully compensated for by any means,” the company said. “We are willing to do our utmost to take responsibility.”
Haidilao did not disclose the compensation amount but reported the case to police in Jianyang, Sichuan, where it is headquartered.
Shanghai police later detained two 17-year-old men. Haidilao also filed a civil lawsuit against them on Monday, according to its statement.
