A woman checks her weight at the entrance to the Chuiyan Fried Beef restaurant in Changsha
A restaurant in Changsha has apologised for suggesting its customers weigh themselves before ordering their meals, just days after China described the country’s food waste problem as “shocking and distressing”.
"Our intention was to advocate not wasting food and for people to order in a healthy way,” the Chuiyan Fried Beef outlet in Changsha, capital of Hunan province, said on Saturday on Weibo, China’s Twitter-like social media platform.
"We never forced customers to weigh themselves.”Nevertheless, the company was “deeply sorry” for any upset caused, it said.
Customers’ weights are sent to their phones to avoid any privacy breaches
The incident began on Thursday, when staff at the restaurant, which is part of a chain, put two scales at the entrance along with a note suggesting how much food people should order based on their body weight.
The guide recommended that women under 40kg should order no more than two dishes – suggestions included sautéed beef and steamed fish head – while men weighing 70-80kg could have up to three.
Men weighing 70-80kg can order up to three dishes
The restaurant’s Weibo post attracted a lot of interest and as of Sunday afternoon had been viewed more than 120 million times.
"There are many ways to promote campaign,” said one user. “The restaurant didn’t need to use this eye-catching way to do so.”
A woman checks her weight at the entrance to the Chuiyan Fried Beef restaurant in Changsha
Customers’ weights are sent to their phones to avoid any privacy breaches
Men weighing 70-80kg can order up to three dishes
