A Chinese court has ordered the parents of two teenagers to pay 2.2 million yuan (around ₹2.71 crore) in compensation to two catering companies. The ruling follows an incident in Shanghai, where two 17-year-olds, surnamed Wu and Tang, were caught on video urinating into a boiling pot of broth at a Haidilao hotpot restaurant.

The incident took place on February 24, 2025, in a private dining room, where the intoxicated teens climbed onto a table and deliberately contaminated the soup used in the restaurant’s traditional hotpot meals. Although no customers were found to have consumed the tainted broth, Haidilao compensated over 4,000 diners who visited the outlet between February 24 and March 8.

The company issued full refunds, paid each customer ten times their bill amount as additional compensation, replaced all utensils, and carried out deep cleaning and disinfection of the restaurant. According to a BBC report, Haidilao had originally demanded more than 23 million yuan in damages, claiming losses from the compensation it provided to customers after the incident.

However, the Shanghai court concluded that the teenagers had harmed the companies’ property and reputation through their “insulting acts,” which included contaminating tableware and creating public discomfort.
The court also stated that the parents had “failed in their duty of guardianship” and must take responsibility. They were ordered to pay 2 million yuan for operational and reputational damage, 130,000 yuan for replacing tableware and cleaning, and 70,000 yuan in legal expenses. 

The judges further clarified that Haidilao’s decision to pay customers beyond the billed amount was a voluntary business choice and would not be covered by the teenagers’ families. Also, the teenagers and their parents were instructed to publish public apologies in designated newspapers addressed to the catering companies.

Haidilao, which began with a single restaurant in Jianyang, Sichuan Province, has since grown into a global brand with over 1,000 outlets. The chain is well known for its customer-first approach and family-friendly services, offering extras like free manicures for women and candy floss for children while waiting to dine.