A hotpot restaurant in Shanghai has temporarily closed for cleaning and disinfection after a mouse was reportedly found falling onto dishes moving along its food conveyor system.
The incident occurred at the Nongxiaoguo Self-Service Hotpot restaurant at Shanghai Songjiang Wanda, after a customer discovered the rodent among food being transported on the conveyor belt.
A staff member from the restaurant confirmed the incident on August 24, saying the exact cause remained unclear. The outlet suspected that renovation work at a nearby shop may have contributed to a rodent problem in the surrounding area.
Following the incident, the restaurant said it immediately activated its emergency response procedures. All food prepared that day was discarded as a precaution, while the matter was reported to the shopping centre management.
Customers who had been dining at the restaurant during the affected period were also refunded, according to the outlet. The restaurant subsequently suspended operations for two days while pest-control measures were carried out.
The restaurant said it had engaged a professional disinfection company to conduct a comprehensive cleaning and sanitisation of the premises before operations resumed.
The outlet has since reopened, although the incident has raised fresh concerns among diners about hygiene and food safety at self-service restaurants, particularly those using conveyor systems where food is continuously transported around the dining area.
