Rewards if diners use serving chopsticks

Shopping malls in the Pudong New Area are encouraging diners to use separate serving utensils in eateries by offering rewards and free parking.

Serving utensils are used to move food from a serving dish to one’s bowl for hygienic purposes, rather than eating directly from dishes.

The Chinese tradition that families or friends eat from one dish by using their own utensils increases the risk of spreading disease.

Especially during the pandemic, people need to change their habits and use serving chopsticks, said Wang Jing, of Pudong’s disease control and prevention center.

Pudong’s civilization office, commerce commission and market watchdog have launched a campaign asking eateries to encourage the use of serving chopsticks.

On Tuesday, restaurants in Laya Plaza and Thumb Plaza on Fangdian Road became the first to comply.

Notices encouraging the use of serving chopsticks are posted at the entrance to eateries.

Laya Plaza customers who do will get free parking. Thumb Plaza is giving such customers double reward points on their membership cards.

“We are considering rewarding diners who post photos of them using serving chopsticks on WeChat,” said Yang Yanqin, Thumb Plaza’s marketing director.

“Shopping malls can manage their tenants, and thus we started the campaign in eateries in malls, but it will take a lot of effort to involve roadside eateries,” said Guo Yaqian, of the Huamu market supervision administration in Pudong. “But we will gradually cover eateries across Pudong from April.”