Shanghai Teens Fined Heavily After Urinating in Hotpot

Earlier this year, two 17-year-olds named Wu and Tang were filmed urinating into a simmering hotpot broth at a Haidilao restaurant in the Huangpu district of Shanghai. The act occurred in a private dining room, and one teen stood on a table above the pot before relieving himself into the broth below.

The teens had been drinking at the time, and the video of the incident went viral on social media. Haidilao management later confirmed the incident took place on February 24. It acknowledged that staff did not detect the misconduct at the time. Nearly two weeks of business afterward were affected

The Response from Haidilao Hotpot Restaurant

Following public outcry, Haidilao took several remedial steps:

• It replaced utensils and tableware, involved and discarded what could have been contaminated.
• All affected customers who dined between February 24 and March 8 were offered full refunds plus extra compensation — reportedly ten times their bill.
• Haidilao formally apologized to customers, saying that the situation exposed weaknesses in staff training and contingency planning.

Court Case & Ruling for the Hotpot Incident

Huangpu District People’s Court in Shanghai later heard a civil lawsuit filed by Haidilao’s affiliated catering companies. They sought compensation exceeding 23 million yuan (approx £2.3‐2.4 million), citing lost business, reputational damage, and customer refunds.

The court ruled that the teens and their parents were liable. The final amount ordered was about 2.2 million yuan (≈ £227,000), which includes compensation for reputational damage, cleaning and replacement costs for tableware, and legal fees. Parents were found to have “failed to fulfil their duty of guardianship.”

Additionally, the teens and their parents were required to issue public apologies in designated newspapers.

Why It Became Such a Big Deal

• The behavior crossed both legal and societal norms: it was seen not just as a prank, but as an intentional act that “insulted” others, polluted a food environment, and damaged public trust.
• Haidilao’s reputation is massive in China and globally, so the brand reacted strongly both to reassure customers and to limit lasting damage.
• The court’s decision emphasized supervision responsibilities for minors — that parents can be held financially and legally responsible when their children commit harmful or socially unacceptable acts.

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