A viral clip of a dancing waiter that inspired a marketing strategy for China’s largest hot pot restaurant chain has stirred debate over worker’s rights.
The dance, known as “Subject 3” on social media, draws from a folk dance in southern China’s Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region that features lots of knee swinging and hip twisting accompanied by a catchy mix of Western disco and folk singing. In early November, the waiter surnamed Pang performed it to celebrate a customer’s birthday at a Haidilao restaurant in Qingzhou, Shandong Province. The posted video of the tableside show quickly became an internet sensation.
Recognizing a valuable opportunity, management at over 1,400 Haidilao branches started training their employees to perform the dance in order to attract customers. Diners could request servers to perform the dance whenever they wanted. The strategy paid off, as the dance has boosted business. Videos with the hashtag “Haidilao Subject 3” had garnered an impressive 1.8 billion views on Douyin (China’s TikTok) as of December 1. Additionally, a young server at a Haidilao restaurant in Dalian, Liaoning Province, gained over 470,000 followers on Douyin with his dancing videos.
Haidilao’s strategy has also attracted criticism. Some customers complained that the performances are too disruptive, while others called them “cheesy and vulgar.” Many netizens argued that Haidilao requiring its employees to dance infringes on their rights, as the majority of its restaurants are reportedly not paying them bonuses for their performances. Many employees have complained of exhaustion and some have sustained ankle injuries from dancing multiple times every day. In response, some Haidilao restaurants have put a stop to the dances, while others now designate specific times and areas for the performance.
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