On June 6th, the news of "Hai Di Lao giving customers second-hand drinks" surged on Weibo's hot search.
According to the Guangdong Minsheng Hotline, in May, a consumer at a restaurant in Haidilao, Guangzhou, drank a foreign substance suspected of being a pill in a drink. The foreign substance was tested and found to contain acetaminophen, and the drink was a "second-hand drink" that other customers had not finished. However, it was brought to the dining table of other customers by a waiter.
On Weibo, Mr. Chen, who claimed to be the person involved, claimed that the drink was consumed by his child that night and he ended up saying "bitter", only to discover that there were pills inside. Haidilao also acknowledges that the foreign object is a cold medicine.
"I haven't received a single apology"
In addition to questioning the incident itself, netizens have also turned their attention to a deeper question - why has Hai Di Lao been facing constant food safety issues recently.
During an interview with the International Finance News, personnel from Hai Di Lao stated that the incident originated on the evening of May 2nd, when a staff member at a Guangzhou store mistakenly provided another table of customers with kumquat lemon water placed on a shelf. After investigation by the police and testing by medical institutions, it was found that the kumquat lemon water contained a cold medicine (acetaminophen).
The above personnel pointed out that the operation of the waiter seriously violated the service process specifications. The relevant responsible persons have been dealt with seriously according to the system process, and the regional responsible person has been instructed to conduct special verification and guidance on the operation specifications of the store to ensure the accuracy and smoothness of the service process. We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience and concerns caused to our customers, and promise to assume corresponding responsibilities in accordance with the law to ensure that customer rights are protected.
However, Hai Di Lao's remarks do not match the statements of the parties involved.
On the afternoon of June 6th, Mr. Chen Weibo stated, "I haven't received any apology yet!" According to the Guangdong Minsheng Hotline, in May, Mr. Chen said that Haidilao did not apologize, while Haidilao stated that "apologies have been ongoing.". Obviously, Mr. Chen's apology may not be consistent with the apology given by Hai Di Lao.
Apart from official language, Hai Di Lao has not made any further statements on this matter.
The company has not responded to the questions raised by the reporter about "how to deal with it seriously" and "how to prevent such phenomena from happening again".
It is understood that the Market Supervision Bureau of Haizhu District, Guangzhou conducted an on-site inspection of the business premises involved in (Haidilao) on May 13th and filed an investigation. The case is currently under investigation and processing.
Food safety issues continue
Food industry analyst Zhu Danpeng commented that "the nature of this incident is serious" and that the food safety issues at Hai Di Lao have not appeared for the first time.
In April of this year, it was reported that a customer at a Haidilao store in Jieyang, Guangzhou found obvious dirt on the bottom of the pot while dining, which posed a health and safety issue. At that time, Haidilao also took serious action against the person responsible for the above-mentioned problem and apologized to the customer.
In January, an "Administrative Penalty Decision" was published on the website of the National Enterprise Credit Information Publicity System, which showed that Hangzhou Laopai Catering Co., Ltd. Yixing First Branch was fined 20000 yuan by the Yixing Market Supervision Administration of Jiangsu Province for "producing and operating food, food additives, and food related products prohibited by the state", and its illegal gains were confiscated by 65 yuan. The punishment date was November 6, 2023. The punishment originated on August 3, 2023, when a consumer discovered a plastic fragment in the bottom of a hot pot while dining at the premises of the party involved.
This is not the first time consumers have eaten plastic slices at Hai Di Lao.
As early as July 2020, some consumers reported eating hard plastic slices in black chicken rolls while dining at the Haidilao Liancheng Plaza store in Jinan City. At that time, Haidilao issued an apology statement, stating that the related issues were caused by the improper operation of employees in the filling process at the supplier's factory.
In the same month, Haidilao Hot Pot Hangzhou Fuchun Xintiandi Store was listed on the "black list of spot check" by Hangzhou Municipal Market Supervision Administration, and was "named" because coliform bacteria were detected in a batch of chopsticks used in the store. It is reported that using tableware with excessive coliform bacteria can cause diarrhea, gastrointestinal infections, and so on.
Similar food safety issues have been constantly emerging in Hai Di Lao recently.
Zhu Danpeng believes that these events highlight the management shortcomings of Hai Di Lao throughout the entire operation process, which may pose greater risks for Hai Di Lao's future opening of the entire franchise chain.
In March of this year, Hai Di Lao announced that it would implement a franchise model for Hai Di Lao restaurants. From past experience, the franchise model has helped with brand expansion, but it has also been accompanied by management difficulties and an increase in complaints.
The outside world is curious that there have been some problems in the operation of Haidilao Restaurant before. Under the franchise model, does it face greater management challenges and how to maintain service standards?
At the 2023 Annual Shareholders' Meeting held on June 5th, Zhou Zhaocheng, Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors of Hai Di Lao, explained that the current franchise of Hai Di Lao is more like a form of custody, and "the entire operation and management team and system are no different from directly operated stores.".
"The threshold for joining Haidilao is very high, approaching tens of millions, which not every investor can afford," said Zhu Danpeng.
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