Urination Incident in Hot Pot Restaurant: Over 400 Million Won in Damages and Public Apology Ordered

In February Last Year at a Shanghai Hotpot Restaurant
Two Teenagers Filmed Themselves Urinating Into a Pot

The parents of a teenage boy who committed a "urination incident" at a branch of Haidilao, a famous Chinese hot pot franchise, have been ordered to pay a substantial amount of damages exceeding 400 million won and have also published a public apology in a newspaper.

According to local media outlets such as The Paper on January 8, the court ordered the perpetrator, referred to as A, and his parents to publish a statement in a newspaper expressing their "sincere apology."

Last March, a video showing a teenage boy urinating in a hot pot at a hot pot restaurant in Shanghai, China, spread on the Chinese social networking service (SNS) Weibo. Screenshot from Weibo

Apology Letter Published in Newspaper Under the Names of A and His Parents

On this day, page 3 of the Chinese newspaper Renmin Fayuanbao featured an apology letter signed by A and his parents. In the letter, A stated, "I have received criticism and guidance from parents, the school, the police, the court, and many online consumers. I have learned a profound lesson and will strive to be reborn. When I become an adult, I will make every effort to be a responsible person for my family, country, and society." His parents also said, "As guardians, we deeply apologize for our child's inappropriate behavior. We accept the court's decision without objection, and we will strengthen our education of our child to ensure he grows up to be a good citizen who acts appropriately and follows the rules."

The incident occurred in February of last year at a Haidilao branch in Shanghai. At the time, 17-year-old A and his friend, while intoxicated, climbed onto a table inside the restaurant and filmed themselves urinating into a hot pot. They then uploaded the footage online, causing a major controversy. As the video spread, a report was filed with the Shanghai Public Security Bureau, and both individuals received administrative detention.

Immediately after the incident, Haidilao took swift action to restore hygiene and customer trust. The company replaced all pots and tableware at the branch and completed a thorough disinfection of the entire restaurant. Additionally, for 13 days following the incident, Haidilao refunded the full cost of meals to all customers who visited the branch and provided compensation amounting to ten times the meal cost. It is reported that approximately 4,100 customers visited the restaurant during this period.

Subsequently, Haidilao filed a lawsuit against the two teenagers and their parents, seeking damages of around 400 million won for brand image damage and business losses.

As a result, the court ruled that they must pay Haidilao 2.2 million yuan (approximately 460 million won). Specifically, the damages included 2 million yuan for business losses and reputational damage, 130,000 yuan for the replacement and cleaning of damaged cooking utensils, and 70,000 yuan in legal fees. The court determined that, since the defendants are minors, their parents also bear joint liability for negligent supervision and must share responsibility for the damages. The court also ordered them to publish an apology letter in a designated newspaper.