HK restaurant trendjacks viral video of food-stealing couple

A Mong Kok eatery has trendjacked with a video highlighting greedy behaviour after a couple was caught attempting to take excess food from an all-you-can-eat hot pot spot in Tsuen Wan.

This comes after a video circulated online showing a staff from The Aquatic Market (千海水產) in Tsuen Wan Plaza politely approaching a couple at a two-person table, informing them that CCTV had recorded them putting food into their bag and asking them to return it, while also reassuring them that they were welcome to eat as much as they liked.

The man then took out a food bag filled with fresh shrimp from a black reusable bag beside him. He subsequently grabbed a handful of beef with his bare hands and eventually handed the entire reusable bag to the staff member. Upon inspection, the staff discovered several packs of instant noodles, a large quantity of shrimp, oysters, crab, beef, and some of the shrimp were still alive. 

In response, a buffet restaurant named 極上帝王水產放題 in Mong Kok created a humorous video recreating the scene on Facebook. The clip featured a man acting as the male diner, using a large black plastic bag instead of a reusable one. As he pretended to return various items to the table, he amusingly pulled out a variety of unrelated objects, including a superhero helmet, a soccer ball, and even a rice cooker.

The video concluded with him reminding viewers to only take what they can eat and not to pack food to go for hygiene reasons.

The trendjacking video has received over 8,200 likes, 750 comments, and 610 shares, a check by MARKETING-INTERACTIVE saw. While some netizens expressed their support for the store, finding the video humorous, others raised concerns about whether the food on the table and the piece of beef he handled with his hands could be served back to customers.

In fact, the original video of the couple attempting to stuff food from the restaurant that has been circulating online has drawn criticism, with many condemning their actions as greedy.

On Threads, several netizens have been discussing the couple's behaviour. Some said that the amount of food they attempted to take was excessively large, while others suggested they should be arrested for stealing. Meanwhile, many also noted that the employee who asked the couple to return the food was very polite and used language that didn’t embarrass the customers.

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