A restaurant owner in Shangqiu, Henan, China, took the drastic step of destroying his entire inventory of tableware after a customer posted a video of her pet dog sitting amongst the plates.
The incident, which occurred on 17 March, sparked heated debate online regarding hygiene and pet-owner responsibilities.
The shop owner, Mr Jiang (name transliterated from Mandarin), stated that he had not noticed the dog being brought into the premises at the time.
Source: Morning News via Shanghai Observer
After a video of the dog in his restaurant caused concerns among netizens about cross-contamination, he decided to take action by smashing approximately 600 sets of ceramic tableware.
Source: 三美嵊州 on Douyin
“Cleanliness and hygiene are the absolute fundamentals of a restaurant,” he remarked.
Although CCTV footage later confirmed the dog did not touch the plates, Mr Jiang maintained that the items were no longer fit for service.
The restaurant has since switched to disposable tableware temporarily.
The pet owner has expressed deep remorse and apologised for the incident.
As a result of the incident, the premises are currently closed for professional deep-cleaning and disinfection.
Also read: Dog eats off plate at Katong hotpot restaurant, manager says he discarded tableware
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Featured image adapted from 新闻晨报 via Shanghai Observer.