Chagee China fires employee who filmed herself assembling drink with bare hands; outlet temporarily closed

An employee at popular beverage chain Chagee was sacked after a video of her preparing a drink with bare hands attracted shock and criticism online.

The F&B brand said on Tuesday (Jan 6) that the female staff member, surnamed Liu, worked at its outlet at Baolong City Plaza in Zhangzhou, Fujian.

Before the store closed for the day, she had filmed herself making milk tea with her hands and uploaded the video which quickly went viral.

The now-deleted video shows Liu hand-squeezing citrus slices into a milk tea shaker. She mixes in a liquid and dunks her hand into the shaker, zealously swirling the concoction.

Then, she dribbles tea over her hand and into the shaker, continuing to stir the drink. At one point, she sweeps the liquid that had splashed on the counter into the shaker.

Disgusted netizens lambasted the video, raising hygiene and food safety concerns, with some saying that the clip has put them off ordering Chagee beverages.

Chagee China said that Liu was emulating a trend known as "Indian milk tea", which involves street vendors in India quickly making drink orders, often handling ingredients with their hands. The trend carries a negative undertone in China.

Investigations found that Liu had used ingredients that were to be disposed of and CCTV footage confirmed that the items had been thrown away immediately after filming.

The store was cleaned and disinfected afterwards, Chagee said, adding that Liu had downplayed her actions by claiming that the filming occurred after operating hours.

Pointing out that she had violated several company regulations, Chagee said that such behaviour is not tolerated and fired her.

The store manager and regional supervisor have also been demoted.

The outlet will be closed until it passes the brand's inspection standards.

[[nid:727664]]

lim.kewei@asiaone.com