What happened at Haidilao Hot Pot? Viral video controversy explained as restaurant issues apology

China-based hotpot chain Haidilao has recently apologized for an incident in a restaurant in Shanghai where two customers reportedly urinated in a hot pot broth. Haidilao apologized and said that it replaced all hotpot equipment and dining utensils, along with disinfecting other crockery and utensils. The company will also offer compensation to around 4,000 diners.

Notably, the incident happened in February this year and it went unnoticed at the time. The restaurant chain got to know about the incident, which took place in a private dining dining room, once the video started circulating online. Additional time was required to find the specific outlet since Shanghai has multiple restaurants owned by the company.

As per BBC News on March 13, 2025, the company said in a statement,

“We fully understand that the distress caused to our customers by this incident cannot be fully compensated by any means… We are willing to do our utmost to take responsibility.”

While speaking to AFP, the company said that the orders served between February 24 and March 8 would include compensations in the form of a full refund and a separate cash payment, which would be ten times more than the refund amount.

---

Haidilao diners detained after the incident video goes viral

As per a March 13, 2025 report by CNN, the Shanghai police detained two 17-year-olds. The now-viral video did not capture the face of the person and instead focused on the legs of the individual who was standing on top of the table and urinating into the pot.

AFP stated that the diners have been detained after a civil lawsuit was filed against them on March 10, 2025. While the charges against them are yet to be confirmed by the authorities, the duo has been put under administrative detention.

As per CBS News, the incident was confirmed by Haidilao through a social media post, which is currently unavailable as of March 12, 2025. The company said that they were planning to take legal action against the diner and also mentioned:

“As management had never made contingency plans or given training for dealing with this type of incident, staff at our branch were unable to detect any abnormalities at the scene or uphold the safety of the dining environment.”

Customers at Haidilao use their hotpot equipment to prepare the food and the same broth is not provided to other customers after being used by a particular diner.

According to People magazine, Haidilao is owned by Super Hi International. The chain also operates outside China in places such as the United States, Canada, Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, Singapore, and more. The company was launched back in 1994 and is owned by popular restaurateur, Zhang Yong.