Hotpot has become the latest casualty of the coronavirus outbreak after 10 members of a family in Hong Kong became infected after sharing the dish, a much-loved favourite during winter.
A hotpot – also known as a steamboat – is a bubbling cauldron of stock shared communally, to which diners add ingredients like meat, seafood and vegetables.
But health experts have sounded warnings after a cluster of coronavirus cases were discovered in one Hong Kong family who all shared a hotpot with a carrier from mainland China over the Chinese New Year holiday.
As the 10th positive case was confirmed within the family on Monday, stocks for large hotpot companies with restaurants in Hong Kong and mainland China plunged.
Xiabuxiabu closed down 7.1 per cent, Haidilao ended 4.8 per cent lower while Yihai International, which makes seasonings and sauces for hot pot, dropped 2.7 per cent.
In Hong Kong, major restaurant chains including Fairwood, Cafe de Coral, Yoshinoya and Maxim’s announced they were temporarily pulling hotpot from their menus.
Maxim’s also confirmed that two of the infected family members from the hotpot cluster worked in two of their branches, which would be closed for disinfecting.
Haidilao, China’s largest hotpot chain, has already closed all its branches on the mainland, where the virus outbreak has killed more than 1,000 people.
It said it will not close its Hong Kong branches but will start checking the temperatures of patrons.
Sam Wong, who owns 66 Hotpot, a family-run restaurant in the bustling district of Mongkok, said around 20 customers have cancelled bookings since the news of the family cluster emerged.
“I don’t think the focus should be placed specifically on hotpot considering the habit among Chinese people of communally sharing food,” Wong, 39, told AFP.
“But given hotpot is part of this cluster infection case, our business can’t help but be affected,” he added.
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