Two teenagers who peed into a pot of broth at a hotpot restaurant have been ordered to pay 2.2m yuan ($309,000; £227,000) to two catering companies in China.
The incident, which happened in February at a Shanghai branch of China’s biggest hotpot chain Haidilao, sparked widespread criticism after the 17-year-olds posted a video of their drunken act online.
There is no suggestion that anyone consumed the contaminated broth but Haidilao had offered to pay thousands of diners who dined at the restaurant in the days following the incident.
In March, Haidilao sought more than 23m yuan in losses, saying this took into account the amount it compensated customers over the incident.
Last Friday, a Shanghai court found that the teenagers had infringed upon the companies’ property rights as well as reputation through “acts of insult”, noting that their actions contaminated tableware and “caused strong discomfort among the public”.
It also found that the teens’ parents had “failed to fulfil their duty of guardianship” and ordered that they bear the compensation, state media reported.
This includes 2m yuan for operational and reputational damage, 130,000 yuan to one of the caterers for tableware losses and cleaning expenses, and 70,000 yuan in legal costs.
However the court ruled that any additional compensation Haidilao offered to its customers, beyond what they were billed, was a “voluntary business decision”, and therefore should not be borne by the teenagers.
Haidilao had offered to compensate more than 4,000 diners who visited the branch between 24 February – the date of their visit – and 8 March, both with a full refund and a cash compensation that is 10 times the amount they were billed.
They also replaced all hotpot equipment and said they had conducted cleaning and disinfection works.
Haidilao has expanded quickly since it opened its first restaurant in Jianyang in Sichuan province. It now operates more than 1,000 restaurants across the world.
The company is known for its customer service and family-friendly atmosphere, where women can receive manicures and kids are treated to candy floss while waiting for a table.
