Hong Kong restaurant says sorry after video of diners sneaking food goes viral

An all-you-can-eat hotpot restaurant in Hong Kong has apologised after a video showing two diners sneaking fresh seafood and beef into bags was leaked online, stressing that the footage was never intended for public release.

The Aquatic Market restaurant in Tsuen Wan Plaza said on Sunday that the company had always attached great importance to protecting customers’ privacy rights, noting the video was recorded solely for internal staff training purposes.

“The video was only recorded for internal training purposes and was absolutely not intended to film customers. It aimed to improve staff service quality and professional ability to handle unexpected situations. There was absolutely no intention of publicly releasing it,” a company spokesman said.

He added that the company deeply regretted the accidental leak of the video and had promptly initiated an internal investigation while rigorously reviewing its data security management measures to prevent similar incidents from happening again.

The video that went viral shows the restaurant employee asking a couple if they placed uncooked items in a bag, emphasising the importance of food safety and consuming uncooked items on-site, while reassuring them they still had time to dine in.

The restaurant said taking ingredients without permission not only breached its rules but also posed health risks due to lack of proper temperature control and inadequate packaging. It added that food safety was its top priority for customers.

The video sparked heated public discussion, with online users criticising the man and woman involved for their behaviour, while others questioned whether the video raised privacy issues.