A popular Japanese Sushi store has been financially crippled by a 17 year old student, who licked the mouth of a soy sauce bottle before returning it to a conveyor belt.
Video shows the student then wiping his saliva on sushi on the conveyor belt and wiping his mouth on an unused tea cup.
Japanese media reports that after the footage went viral, the student’s guardian took him to the ‘Sushiro’ store to say sorry, but the apology wasn’t accepted.
The owner has reportedly called the police and will insist on criminal and civil investigations, amid reports the stock price of the store’s parent company, Food and Life Companies, fell by HK$960 million (US$122 million) as a result of the incident.
The store that was impacted has now replaced all tea cups and soy sauce bottles, but customers now have concerns about hygiene and safety at all 19 Sushiro franchises across Hong Kong.
It’s understood an employee of Sushiro noticed the viral video on January 29 and the incident was reported to police two days later.