Over the past year, there were a spate of Twitter-related incidents in which employees from a variety of convenience stores and restaurants uploaded their foolish exploits, only to find themselves disciplined or fired as a consequence.
In recent months, such stupidity appeared to have died down, but now it’s back with a vengeance.
Two male part-timers at Hama Sushi, a major kaiten (revolving belt) sushi chain dipped a scissors in batter, deep-fried it, and placed on top of a ball of sushi rice. They then decided it would be a good idea to upload it to Twitter, provoking an immediate backlash from customers that may well mean the store has to close.
Scissors tempura, anyone?
From Yahoo! Japan:
Hama Sushi Part-Timers Upload Picture of Tempura Scissors To Twitter, Receives Floods Of Online Criticism — No. 8 Sabae Branch
The offending tweet.
It was revealed on September 29 that a male worker at the “No.8 Sabae branch” (Kawabatamachi, Sabae City, Fukui Prefecture) of major kaiten sushi chain Hama Sushi (Tokyo) took and uploaded a photograph to micro-blogging site Twitter” of some deep fried tempura scissors sitting on a ball of sushi rice in the branch’s kitchen.
Once the prefecture grasped the situation, they issued verbal guidance that staff should not take unnecessary items such as mobile phones into the kitchens. It was not confirmed whether this was a health hazard.
According to Hama Sushi, on the night of September 24, the male worker, along with another male colleague covered the kitchen’s scissors (approx. 15cm blades) with tempura batter, deep fried them, and then took a photograph of them balanced on top of a ball of sushi rice in the branch’s kitchen. Following that, they uploaded the picture to Twitter with the caption “We’ve created a new dish guys!”. From around 12:30am on September 25, people who had seen the uploaded photograph started commenting online “Is this really acceptable?” and the picture went viral.
On the morning of September 25, the company was made aware of the situation via an external e-mail. Following this they questioned the pair on what had happened. It is possible that they fried the scissors during business hours, but they were not served to customers visiting the branch. The workers have not been allowed back to work. The company has stated that they cannot talk about the motive behind the workers’ behavior. They will now investigate which disciplinary measures are to be taken.
Until the store opened on September 25, staff cleaned all kitchen utensils and changed the frying oil. At present it is business as usual for the store. The company commented that “We always guide our staff so that they are well-versed in hygiene control, but we are deeply sorry for any concern caused to our customers”.
Prefectural authorities, who were alerted to the situation in an external e-mail, dispatched an agent from the Tannan Heath and Welfare Center to carry out interviews with those responsible at the store at around 11:30am on September 26. Verbal guidance was issued, such as “that the director of employees should be thoroughly trained on such matters”
The company has expanded to around 340 kaiten sushi branches nationwide.
Comments from 2ch.net:
河津落とし(西日本)＠＼(^o^)／:
This is boring, even if they were trolling.
頭突き(岐阜県)＠＼(^o^)／:
The idiot discovery system is still alive and kicking.
魔神風車固め(千葉県)＠＼(^o^)／:
Don’t play with food.
膝十字固め(SB-iPhone)＠＼(^o^)／:
If the part of the scissors you hold was made of plastic, wouldn’t it have melted into the oil?
ジャストフェイスロック(家)＠＼(^o^)／:
Harmful substances would have melted from the scissors, so it’s a bit scary if you were to eat their sushi, even now, right?
ダイビングエルボードロップ(家)＠＼(^o^)／:
From now on, whenever I go to Hama Sushi I’m going to think of the melted scissor handle tempura, and that’ll be it…from now on I’m only going to Sushiro w
足4の字固め(福岡県)＠＼(^o^)／:
Wonder if they’ll get damages from those idiotic part-timers.
They’re done for.
32文ロケット砲(豚)＠＼(^o^)／:
These people…aren’t they in fact spies for rival companies?
閃光妖術(庭)＠＼(^o^)／:
I won’t be going to Hama Sushi any more.
不知火(禿)＠＼(^o^)／:
Hama Sushi is the worst.
I won’t go there again.
垂直落下式DDT(庭)＠＼(^o^)／:
Those young fools don’t have even the slightest notion that anyone can see Twitter.
Comments from Twitter:
京極典厩:
It’s been said many times already but these are idiots.
たうざーⅡ@ネコぱら応援中：
Is it because they’re fools that they don’t understand, or is because they’re fools that they never learn?
Better that these brats don’t buy smartphones.
♭ÓVVØW₫:
I remember that when we were in high school, a friend of mine who was working part time in the kitchen of a Japanese restaurant deep-fried his glasses. But that was an accident because he slipped on the oil.
杜若_αCVn:
There are still plenty of idiots around. Can’t they judge what will happen if they upload something like that? w
ぽんぽこ:
If only they’d used LINE they’d have been safe, no one would have found out.
盲目の兎:
Near where I live, there is nothing but Hama Sushi.
アズーマ:
I bet the guys themselves thought it was hilarious…
ハマカン＠火曜水曜が休日:
They actually did it (+o+)
蒼吐:
Do that nonsense at home.
If they used that oil to cook after it had been contaminated then this branch is done for.
杭打ち機:
They should have made them eat it.
