Hygiene has always been a top priority in the food and beverage industry, but recently, a high-end gelato shop at K11 Musea in Tsim Sha Tsui, “Dood Bottega Gelateria,” has come under fire after a video emerged online, which shows a staff member licking an ice cream spade inside the shop premises.
A netizen uploaded a clip onto the social media platform Threads lately, accusing a staff member at the gelato shop of “licking the ice cream spade one flavor after the other”. The short clip quickly went viral with tens of thousands of shares and hundreds of comments.
Click here for the video.
The shop is known for its artisanal gelato, with prices starting at HK$69 per scoop, while some fresh fruit flavors cost up to HK$300 per scoop. The shop is highly praised by renowned food critic Chua Lam.
After the video was made public, the shop promptly responded, saying it had carried out thorough disinfection and cleaning, and issued a warning to the relevant staff member.
The shop further explained that the incident occurred before closing, moments before the staff cleaned the gelato spades.
It emphasized that the shop disinfects equipment daily with alcohol and apologized to members of the public, assuring them that there are no food safety or hygiene concerns and that similar incidents will not recur.
However, most netizens were not satisfied with the shop’s response, with some saying the daily disinfection does not justify the staff’s action. While some also pointed out that the shop’s staff members were known for being rude to customers.
