This Time, Hygiene Terror Controversy at Japanese Family Restaurant... "Strict Measures Will Be Taken"

"Received Apology but Will Devise Strict Measures"

Recently, a video showing a customer putting a seasoning container into their mouth at a restaurant in Japan has sparked a 'hygiene terror' controversy.

On the 19th, the Japanese media outlet News Post Seven reported that on the 5th, a video of a man putting a seasoning container into his mouth at the family restaurant Gusto spread on social networking services (SNS). The video showed a man shaking the seasoning from the container into his mouth. During the process, the seasoning container even entered the man's mouth.

At a restaurant in Japan, a customer is pouring seasoning from a condiment container into their mouth. [Image source=SNS]

As the controversy spread, Gusto's operator, Skylark Restaurant, issued a press release stating, "A video presumed to have been filmed at one of our operated stores around the summer of 2023 was posted on SNS," and emphasized, "We will take strict measures against the person who caused the disturbance."

They added, "The affected store is the Gusto location in Hitachi City, Ibaraki Prefecture, and all seasoning containers at every seat in the store have been discarded and replaced with new ones." The operator also said, "We have received apologies from all three people involved in the incident," but added, "Since this is an incident that damaged the trust relationship with customers, we consider it a serious matter and will devise strict countermeasures."

A boy licking a soy sauce bottle caused controversy at the Japanese conveyor belt sushi chain 'Sushiro'. [Image source=SNS]

The media pointed out that this incident recalls the 'hygiene terror' controversy that occurred last year at a conveyor belt sushi restaurant. In January last year, at the Japanese conveyor belt sushi chain Sushiro, a boy caused controversy by licking a soy sauce bottle. Besides licking the soy sauce bottle, the boy also placed used teacups in unused compartments and spat on food on the conveyor belt. He even posted videos of these actions on SNS.

In response, Sushiro's operator F&LC filed a damage claim of about 67 million yen (approximately 593.5 million KRW). The operator stated, "The boy's actions raised doubts about hygiene management at each store, caused significant discomfort and disgust to many customers, and the impact was serious, so we cannot leave this issue unaddressed," and filed a lawsuit for damages.

Meanwhile, in Japan, hygiene terror incidents have repeatedly occurred and caused problems for some time. In January, a video of a staff member in their 20s licking the lid of a shared kettle at a restaurant in Hokkaido spread, sparking controversy.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.