Chinese restaurant probed for reusing customers’ leftovers
Eatery criticised for draining off and reusing chilli oil in hotpots, but some insist it’s standard practice to prepare the dish in one city in China
A restaurant in southern China is under investigation after it was accused of draining off chili oil from leftover Chinese hotpots and serving it again to hundreds of customers during one week, according to Chinese media reports.
The restaurant in Guangzhou in Guangdong province extracted the oil from the hotpot soup left by customers and kept it for a week, a report on Guangdong Radio and Television said.
Before it was dumped, it was served to an estimated 560 customers through the course of a week, the report said.
The television station sent an undercover reporter to investigate and film the kitchen at the restaurant.
Video footage shows a waitresses bringing leftover hotpot meals into the kitchen.
A cook dumped the remaining soup base in a metal bucket and at the end of the day the chilli oil floating on top was scooped out.
