By Mallika Soni,News18
Copyright news18
What began as a drunken prank ended with a jaw-dropping penalty as two 17-year-olds in Shanghai, who filmed themselves urinating into a pot of broth at a Haidilao hotpot restaurant, were ordered to pay 2.2 million yuan (₹2.56 crore) in damages. The February incident went viral after the boys posted the video online, sparking outrage. Although no diners consumed the tainted broth, Haidilao, China’s largest hotpot chain, moved quickly to compensate customers, replace all equipment at the branch and launch deep-cleaning measures.
A Shanghai court ruled that the teenagers infringed upon the companies’ property rights and reputation through “acts of insult” and ordered their parents- who had “failed to fulfil their duty of guardianship”- to bear the compensation. The breakdown includes ₹2.32 crore for operational and reputational losses, ₹15 lakh for tableware replacement and cleaning and ₹8 lakh in legal fees.
Haidilao had initially sought over 23m yuan in damages, factoring in payouts to more than 4,000 diners offered refunds and 10x cash compensation for meals between February 24 and March 8 but the court held that such gestures were “voluntary business decisions” and could not be charged to the teenagers.
Founded in Sichuan province in the 1990s, Haidilao has grown into a global hotpot empire with more than 1,000 outlets worldwide. The chain is renowned for its customer service perks- from manicures for women to candy floss for kids waiting for a table.
