By South China Morning Post | Created at 2025-03-20 01:31:44 | Updated at 2025-03-20 15:19:04
13 hours ago
The popular hotpot chain Haidilao is in the midst of a public relations crisis, and internet users are describing the matter as “pee-gate”.
Last month, two 17-year-olds were dining at a Haidilao restaurant in Shanghai and, while drunk, got up on the table and urinated directly into the pot. A video of the incident went viral earlier this month and someone reported it to police.
Local police have since detained the two teenagers. Haidilao later said in a social media post that since the two youths involved in the incident were minors, it hoped the public would not attack the youths or their families, giving them a chance to learn their lesson and grow.
People online reacted to Haidilao’s actions with anger, saying the chain chose tolerance of wrongdoers at the cost of providing quality service and food safety to its customers. Last week, Haidilao moved to quell the public anger by offering every customer on the night of the incident a full refund and compensation that was 10 times the price people paid for dinner.
The reaction of the restaurant’s customers is easy to understand. Haidilao’s brand has long been built around excellent – sometimes over the top – customer service. People have posted stories about Haidilao service staff who helped them celebrate their birthdays, made festive events memorable and even provided a manicure or hair wash.
When the two youths urinated in the hotpot, they trampled on both the restaurant’s cleanliness and customers’ trust in Haidilao’s ability to provide safe food. It made customers worry they could be eating in a pot used as a urinal.
