Hotpot chain to compensate more than 4,000 customers after drunk teens urinate into soup

A popular hotpot chain in China has offered to compensate more than 4,000 of its customers after a video of drunken teens peeing into the broth went viral on social media. 

According to a BBC report, two drunk 17-year-olds who dined in one of the branches of Haidilao in Shanghai, China last February were recorded peeing into the hotpot. The police said that the teens were detained immediately after the incident happened.

Per the report, the staff on duty at the time failed to stop the customers, and only found out about the incident days later after it went viral on social media. It also took them another day to confirm which branch the incident took place. 

It wasn’t clear whether anyone consumed the urinated broth. It’s also unclear whether the hotpot in question was thoroughly cleaned and disinfected before it was used by the next customer.

For its part, Haidilao, which has over 1,300 branches across China, assured its customers that it has replaced all hotpot equipment and dining utensils and has been disinfecting other dinnerware and utensils.

"We fully understand that the distress caused to our customers by this incident cannot be fully compensated for by any means, but we will do our utmost to take responsibility," the company said in a statement. 

The management also offered full refunds and cash compensation of 10 times the amount they billed all customers who dined at the affected branch between Feb. 24 and March 8.

Haidlao has also filed a civil lawsuit against the two teenagers.