A video clip showing several elderly people occupying seats at a KFC restaurant in Liaocheng, East China's Shandong Province, has sparked heated online discussions. Some netizens noted that while the elderly seeking relief from the heat is understandable during hot weather, the restaurant is a place of business and is not obligated to provide such services.
In the video filmed and posted online by a netizen, some elderly individuals were chatting and playing cards. Others were lying on the seats sleeping, yet none placed an order. Many comments criticized the behavior as significantly affecting the restaurant's business.
Restaurant staff said that due to the recent hot weather, many elderly people came to the store to cool off after having breakfast. And the staff can only try to persuade them not to occupy the seats for too long to avoid affecting other customers' dining experience, Hongxing News under Chengdu Media Group reported on Sunday.
The subdistrict office that the KFC restaurant is under its jurisdictory did not provide a solution, saying that as the elderly seeking relief from the heat is a spontaneous act and the restaurant operates independently, the issue currently relies on staff persuasion, according to Hongxing News
The hashtag "Cost of elderly's cooling off shouldn't be transferred to KFC" became a trending topic on China's X-like social media platform Sina Weibo on Monday, garnering over 40 million views and comments.
Some netizens criticized the behavior as uncivilized, saying that while the KFC restaurant's attitude showed some kindness and tolerance toward the elderly, some of them occupied seats for long periods and affected the restaurant's business just to save a little money for themselves.
Others were not satisfied with the subdistrict office's indifferent response, stating that ensuring normal business operations is the responsibility of relevant authorities, who should actively provide solutions to assist the restaurant.
For example, they could guide the elderly to other places to cool off, such as libraries, pharmacies, shopping centers, and public lounges, some netizens suggested.
In the midst of hot weather, the KFC restaurant in Liaocheng is not the only place where elderly individuals disrupted business operations by occupying seats without making any purchases. A similar incident occurred in a restaurant in the city of Ji'an in East China's Jiangxi Province. An online video showed the restaurant broadcasting a message over a loudspeaker saying, "This is not a senior activity center," but it had little effect.
Some netizens said individual stores cannot replace the public services provided by communities and the government. They suggested local grassroots departments open more public cooling places, such as community centers and libraries, so that the elderly have spaces to go. Additionally, they could also support the installation of sunshades and public fans in older neighborhoods and help educate the elderly to respect business operations, netizens said.
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