"Employee Washes Feet in Sink"... Closure of Famous Chinese Milk Tea Store

A video showing an employee washing their feet in a sink at a famous milk tea store in China sparked a hygiene controversy. It was reported that the employee was treating a burn on their foot during work at the time, but following the controversy, the store was ultimately closed.

An employee at a Chinese milk tea shop washing their feet in the sink.
[Photo source=Captured from Chinese social media]

원본보기 아이콘

On the 12th, Chinese media including Beijing Daily reported that a staff member at a branch of the famous Chinese milk tea chain 'Mixuebingcheng' was seen washing their feet in a sink, leading to the closure of the store.

Earlier, on the 10th, a video circulated on Chinese social networking services (SNS) showing a male employee at a Mixuebingcheng store taking off his shoes and washing his feet in a sink inside the store. The video showed an employee wearing the store uniform putting his bare feet into the sink, then placing his foot on the edge of the sink and touching it with his hands. The person who filmed the video said the location was a store near Panzayuan in Chaoyang District, Beijing.

It was reported that the employee had suffered a burn on his foot while working and was performing first aid with cold water when this incident occurred. Local netizens responded, "We understand treating a burn with first aid," but also said, "Why not do it on the floor? It's really disgusting," and "Isn't there a restroom or a place to wash mops?"

As the controversy grew online, Mixuebingcheng acknowledged on the 11th, the day after the video was shared, that the employee in the video was the store owner's father and admitted that it could be a hygiene issue. They also ordered the closure of the store and mandated disinfection, and announced that standardized training and corrective measures were implemented for all employees.

The Chaoyang District health authorities also stated, "After collecting the store's CCTV footage on site, it was confirmed that the controversial situation actually occurred," and announced, "We conducted a 'Wetan' (約談, reserved interview) with Mixuebingcheng headquarters, ordering enhanced training and inspections for all stores." Wetan is a form of verbal warning used by Chinese authorities where companies, institutions, or individuals are summoned to be pointed out for mistakes and given corrective demands.

Meanwhile, Mixuebingcheng is a milk tea franchise rapidly grown since its founding in 1997 by brothers Zhang Hongchao and Hong Fu in Henan Province, promoting itself as cost-effective. It has about 32,000 stores in China alone and over 4,000 stores in 11 overseas countries including South Korea. This is not the first time Mixuebingcheng's safety and hygiene issues have been raised. According to local media, in March last year, two Mixuebingcheng stores in Nanjing City, China, were found to have manipulated expiration date labels on ingredients and used materials that should have been discarded, causing controversy.

© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.