Dying rat makes sudden appearance on restaurant food trolley

A hotpot restaurant in Yangpu District has suspended operation for rectification after a rat fell onto a food trolley, scaring diners.

A diner surnamed Yuan was having dinner with his former classmates at the Wujiaochang outlet of Spice World, a hotpot restaurant chain, on Friday night when the unexpected visitor arrived.

"With a big bang, the rat fell onto our food trolley suddenly, and a male classmate sitting beside me jumped up without saying a word when he saw the rat," Yuan said. "At the same time, a female classmate screamed."

"At first, the rat was still alive, and it stopped moving after several twitches," he told ThePaper.cn.

"It was extremely disgusting, and the dead rat was very big, over 20 centimeters long," said Yuan.

A worker took the trolley away immediately after hearing screaming, although several diners were able to film the scene with their mobile phones.

The restaurant waved the bill, but Yuan's request for compensation was refused.

Another diner, identified as "elaineyiyi", said on restaurant review website dianping.com that rats also appeared at other areas of the restaurant that night, but workers of the eatery turned a blind eye.

The Yangpu District Market Supervision and Management Bureau has ordered the restaurant to cease business and clear all rats.

It should also clean the entire restaurant thoroughly to ensure food safety, the bureau ordered, explaining that rats were being exterminated on Thursday, and that the rat in question may have just eaten rat poison.

The bureau said it would enhance inspections on the hygiene conditions of nearby restaurants as well.