TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A popular noodle shop in Taipei had its Google reviews plummet after a delivery driver captured a video of an employee wringing out a used rag into the vat used to cook noodles.
Video footage captured on Sunday (June 4) shows an employee of the Beitou main branch of Zhiming Beef Noodles in Taipei City's Beitou District wiping a table with a rag and then wringing it out into the water pot used to cook noodles. The food delivery driver, named Shing Chen, posted the video to the Facebook page Baoyuan Commune (爆怨公社), quickly drawing condemnation from readers.
Outraged netizens quickly changed the name of the shop on Google Maps to "Wring the Rag Water into Boiling Noodle Vat." Its rating on Google Reviews plummeted to 1.7 stars.
Employee seen wiping table with rag. (Facebook, Breaking News Commune screenshot)
The owner of the restaurant, surnamed Hsu (許), on Monday (June 5) expressed his deepest apologies in a statement. He was cited by CNA as stating that after conducting an internal investigation, it was determined that the behavior seen on camera represented the "personal negligence of the employee."
Hsu said the employee failed to give a truthful response when first asked about the incident. As the owner, Hsu pledged to take responsibility. The branch in question, which is near Shipai MRT Station, will be temporarily closed.
Worker wipes table with rag (left), before wringing it out in vat full of boiling noodles. (Facebook, Breaking News Commune screenshots)
In the future, internal staff education and training will be strengthened, after which the Shipai branch will be reopened at a later date, said Hsu.
Hsu said that the health department would be contacted to conduct an inspection. According to Hsu, the beef noodle shop has been operating in Taipei City for more than 30 years with good reviews.
Hsu claimed that there had not been any food safety-related issues reported over the many years of the eatery's operations. He pledged that internal controls and training would be bolstered to regain consumer confidence.
Entrance to Zhiming Beef Noodle restaurant. (CNA photo)
The Taipei City Government Department of Health conducted an inspection of the premises, per mnews. However, because the store was temporarily closed, the inspector said that the owner would be contacted again to assess the situation and arrange for an on-site inspection as soon as possible.
