Chagee employee in China stirred drink with bare hands to emulate online trend
Popular Chinese beverage chain Chagee has fired an employee after a viral video showed her preparing a drink with her bare hands.
Her outlet, located in China’s Fujian province, has been suspended indefinitely.
Source: @帅发财前任两条街 on Weibo
Chagee employee seen stirring drink, handling ingredients with bare hands
In the footage that circulated widely on social media, the employee wearing a Chagee uniform and a mask stirred the drink with her entire hand for the camera.
Source: @帅发财前任两条街 on Weibo
She then used the same hand to dump ice and ingredients into the container, scooping some ingredients directly from the counter into the drink.
Source: @帅发财前任两条街 on Weibo
Shockingly, she then poured tea over her hand into the container.
Source: @帅发财前任两条街 on Weibo
Later, she was seen squeezing lemons into containers without wearing gloves.
Source: @帅发财前任两条街 on Weibo
After pouring tea into the container, she again stirred the drink with her bare hand.
Source: @帅发财前任两条街 on Weibo
She proceeded to add milk to the drinks, then stirred them with the same hand.
Source: @帅发财前任两条街 on Weibo
Chagee employee was creating online content
Chagee responded to the viral video in a statement posted on Weibo on Tuesday (6 Jan), saying that the incident took place at a Chagee outlet in Zhangzhou, Fujian.
The employee had filmed her actions herself as she had intended to create online content featuring “Indian-style milk tea”, reportedly a viral trend.
She prepared the drink with leftover ingredients from the store shortly before closing time.
CCTV footage showed that the drinks and ingredients were discarded immediately after the video was recorded, Chagee said.
Employee dismissed & supervisors demoted
In its statement, Chagee said it was “shocked and outraged” by the incident, noting that the employee’s behaviour violated its core commitment to food safety and its brand values.
The employee involved, who is surnamed Liu, attempted to cover up her actions by claiming that she had recorded the video after closing time, it added.
She has been dismissed due to serious disciplinary violations and integrity issues.
The store manager and regional supervisor have also been demoted for failing to supervise her properly.
Chagee outlet closed indefinitely
The affected Chagee outlet in Longwen Baolong Plaza has been closed indefinitely for recitification efforts.
It will only reopen after these efforts are completed and a rigorous inspection is passed, the company said.
The outlet currently has a sign pasted on its door, saying it is “temporarily closed”, according to a photo shared on Douyin.
Source: @王同学 on Douyin
Food safety is ‘unshakable’ committment, says Chagee
Chagee said food safety is its “unshakable bottom line”, adding:
Ensuring the safety, health, and consistency of every cup of our product is our unwavering promise.
The incident has served as a wake-up call, highlighting areas where its personnel training and daily supervision were insufficient, it noted, thanking those who reminded them of this.
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Featured image adapted from @帅发财前任两条街 on Weibo.
