Story By: John Feng, Sub Editor: Joseph Golder, Agency: Asia Wire Report

Video Credit: AsiaWire

A five-star Hyatt hotel has denied allegations of hazing and bullying among its kitchen staff after this social media video emerged allegedly showing a junior cook being slapped and force-fed raw meat.

Hyatt on the Bund, which is in China’s eastern port city of Shanghai, released a statement on 3rd October following a flood of one-star reviews and angry comments from the public.

The comments came in response to footage posted a day before allegedly showing a young junior staff member being ruthlessly bullied by senior kitchen staff during a bizarre initiation.

In the clip, people laugh as the young man is repeatedly slapped, allegedly by his head chef, who forces him to take off his hat and shove his face in a bin full of kitchen refuse and food waste.

In the video, the junior cook also chokes and is on the verge of tears someone, allegedly the head chef, shoves a ball of raw meat into his mouth.

The social media footage, now deleted from various online platforms, came amid allegations that the scenes took place in the luxury hotel’s kitchen.

But Hyatt on the Bund have strenuously denied accusations of misconduct among its staff members, saying the individuals in the video were not their employees, and that the location is not their restaurant’s kitchen.

The statement read: “Hyatt on the Bund values highly the physical and mental well-being of its clients and staff.

“Our management staff took the accusations in the video very seriously and immediately sought to verify the claims.

“We discovered that the kitchen in which the footage was filmed was not that of this hotel. The individuals involved were also not our employees.

“As this incident has greatly damage our reputation, we have filed a police report and provided all relevant proof.

“The hotel reserves the right to pursue legal action against those responsible.”

Shanghai authorities did not reveal whether they had any suspects.

It is unclear when the alleged bullying incident was filmed.

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