Shocking video footage is circulating today of an apparent kitchen employee picking up some kind of spilled food from the ground behind a popular Chinese restaurant in Toronto, then putting said food into a bucket with his hands and bringing that bucket out of Hong’s back door. Shing.
The scene is strikingly reminiscent of that time at The Office when Kevin Malone dropped his famous chili all over the carpet at Dunder Mifflin and then tried to “save” it by shoving the mess into a pot of office supplies.
But unlike Kevin’s clumsy chili fiasco, no one laughs along with the Hong Shing clip, least of all the people who own Hong Shing.
The restaurant and its followers are disgusted that the video has gone viral (courtesy of 6ixbuzzTV) without any context behind it, potentially damaging a local business that has already been struggling under pandemic lockdowns and, recently, a devastating fire.
This is a brilliant advertisement for Wah Too or a declaration of war on Hong Shing’s secret street sauce 😂😂😂 pic.twitter.com/0oYk16tiNj
– o³ (@oyeowoo) December 28, 2021
The clip in question first appeared on Instagram earlier this week, when a user named @certifidee uploaded three videos showing a man cleaning up sauce and putting it into buckets in the alley behind Hong Shing, which can be found in Dundas. Street West, east of University.
“Please no longer support Hong Shing, this is disgusting,” reads the caption for the original post, which was quickly republished on the wildly popular (and wildly controversial) local Instagram account 6ixbuzzTV.
In less than 24 hours, a stitched version of the 53-second video has amassed more than 660,000 views.
“Hong Shing says it’s not like that …” 6ixbuzz wrote in its caption, calling out the restaurant explicitly for those who may not recognize the location of the video.
The disgusting comments and jokes about the “special sauce” started pouring in almost immediately when people shared the video and vowed never to eat at the restaurant, which has long been a favorite among office workers, students and people looking for late night meals in downtown Toronto. .
So Hong shing made us eat the general tao with the snow on it? Violation
– Dgp (@ DonUno11) December 29, 2021
It didn’t take long for Hong Shing to comment publicly on what he says actually happened (while taking photos of 6ixbuzz in the process).
“We are disappointed that we still have to address issues and stories like this recent post on 6ixBuzz where they continue the discriminatory narrative that Chinese restaurants are unhealthy and did not contact us to verify the facts or find out how the product was disposed of, “reads a statement posted by the restaurant on IG Stories at Tuesday.
“Hong Shing has a comprehensive operational guideline on the handling and disposal of damaged goods. In the event that goods are damaged during the reception process in public spaces, all necessary measures must be taken to restore the area to its original state. “.
“Damaged goods are moved to the Hong Shing facility to be received, inspected and documented by management regardless of their condition,” the statement continued.
“Losses are clearly marked for disposal and are disposed of through a food waste disposal service and are not included with general waste. We work closely with Toronto Public Health and follow all DineSafe guidelines.”
While some online seem reluctant to believe Hong Shing’s explanation, many more say it sounds perfectly reasonable, even praising the restaurant for having a policy to clean up clutter that could otherwise harm local wildlife or passersby.
Restaurant fans and 6ixbuzz haters have expressed overwhelming support for the nearly 25-year business on Instagram, as evidenced by all the Stories posted by Hong Shing over the past 20 hours.
“Colin has gone to great lengths in his restaurant and brand to become a staple in town. After a devastating kitchen fire over the holidays, his team managed to reopen for Christmas takeout,” wrote one user from Instagram by sharing Hong Shing’s statement through Stories.
“The video and their opinions do not have the full context. This is the last thing another small business (restaurant) in town needs after these 2 brutal years.”
“I’m so saddened by @ 6ixbuzztv and the girl who posted @hongshingto’s video and decided it would be nice to make up her own NARRATIVE of events, damaging a wonderful local business, especially during such a happy holiday time,” wrote another.
Imagine owning a business and dealing with the last 2 years of restrictions / closures and then recently recovering from a kitchen fire, only to get back up and running in time for the holidays just because of a few fakes.
news account to post something without any context, “wrote yet another follower.
“We have personally eaten here for many years. Collin and his staff have always provided us with a great experience and amazing food. We should build each other, not attack small businesses.”
Some are using the case to highlight rampant racism against Asians in Toronto and to speak of the damage that baseless stereotypes can cause.
“Local restaurants don’t need this kind of slander, especially during covid. The guy was cleaning up a spill doing his job,” wrote an Instagram user sharing Hong Shing’s statement. “This whole dirty stereotype of Chinese restaurants takes us back 50 years.”
Hong Shing, grateful for the support, announced last night that it would temporarily offer a 30 percent discount on all online orders and to pick up people using the code “SUPPORTLOCAL.”
Hong Shing’s owner has yet to respond to an immediate request for comment from blogTO, but he told us this fall that he was rushing to reopen after the fire on Christmas, something he managed to do.
“We are hopeful that we can now look to the future and be excited about the improvements to the restaurant, especially before next year,” Colin Li said at the time.
“There have not been many venues in the city for 25 years, and for us to have the opportunity to renovate it, we are excited to share with our loyal fans and create a better experience with them.”
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