A Chinese court has ordered two teenagers who ho filmed themselves urinating into a hotpot soup to pay more than $300,000 in damages.
The 17-year-old teens, identified by their surnames Tang and Wu, along with their parents, must also issue a formal apology.
The incident took place in a private room at a Haidilao restaurant in Shanghai, where the two took turns standing on a table and urinating into the broth.
Despite knowing the potential consequences, one of them shared a video of the “intentional” act on social media.
The clip quickly went viral, sparking widespread outrage and raising concerns about hygiene standards at Haidilao locations.
In response, the company issued an apology and reassured customers that all utensils, including soup pots, had been destroyed and replaced.
Haidilao also refunded more than 4,000 dine-in orders and provided additional compensation, valued at 10 times the cost of each customer’s original meal.
Haidilao is a well-known hotpot chain in China, first opening in Jianyang, Sichuan.
Since then, they have expanded significantly, with more than 1,000 locations worldwide.
It has built its reputation on exceptional customer service and a family-friendly atmosphere, where children can enjoy cotton candy while waiting for a table.
Earlier this year, two food companies believed to be connected to the Haidilao hot pot chain filed a lawsuit against the teens and their parents.
They sought a public apology and more than 2.2 million yuan in damages.
This amount includes 2 million yuan for operational and reputational losses, 130,000 yuan for cleaning costs and tableware that had to be replaced and 70,000 yuan in legal fees.
The Chinese court later determined that the company’s decision to refund affected customers was valid and reasonable, as it was directly caused by the teens’ actions.
However, the court noted that the tenfold compensation offered to diners did not have “legal causation” and was instead a “voluntary business choice.”
The court also ordered the two 17-year-olds to publish public apologies in newspapers addressed to the affected companies, with their parents responsible for covering the fine.
The ruling further stated that the parents could face “serious penalties” for failing to properly supervise their children at the hotpot restaurant.
China Comment, a well-known magazine, argued that the act “cannot be dismissed as a simple prank,” and described it as an “extreme disregard for the rights of others.”
This was not the first case of food safety violations tied to pranks. Just a month earlier, authorities in Hong Kong arrested a 63-year-old man for urinating into soft drinks at supermarkets.
