HK gelato shop apologises after staff caught licking ice cream scoop

Dood Bottega Gelateria, a high-end gelato shop at K11 MUSEA in Tsim Sha Tsui, has apologised after a video showing a staff member licking an ice cream spade inside the shop premises went viral online. 

The clip, posted on Threads by an internet user last Saturday (30 March), shows a female employee at Dood Bottega Gelateria licking a dark-colored utensil. The netizen accused her of licking the ice cream spade consecutively across different flavours.

On the same day, Dood Bottega Gelateria replied to the netizen’s post, saying that it immediately returned to the shop for thorough disinfection and cleaning. It also issued a warning letter to the staff member involved and reviewed the CCTV footage.

"The staff licked the ice cream spade before closing the shop. Each night after cleaning the ice cream spades, they are disinfected with 100% alcohol, dried, and then returned to the refrigerator. They are disinfected once more the next morning before being used.”

“We deeply apologise for any unease caused to all netizens who have watched the video. However, there is no need to worry about any food safety and hygiene issues as all equipment and utensils are disinfected with 100% alcohol before use. We assure you that such unsettling issues will not occur in our store in the future,” the shop added. 

However, several netizens are not satisfied with the shop's response, with some responding on Threads that the staff should be fired, while some have expressed concerns about the hygiene of the ice cream.

In response to netizens’ concerns, Dood Bottega Gelateria told Sing Tao Headline that despite implementing post-disinfection measures following the incident, the staff's behaviour of licking the utensils was indeed improper.

The shop added that it has taken note of the public feedback and will address the issue in three ways, including suspending the duties of that staff, closing the shop for a day for thorough disinfection, and promptly replacing all related ice cream utensils, hoping to regain customer trust.

In fact, the incident drew mixed reactions online, amassing over 719,000 views, along with more than 10,000 reactions, 620 comments and 550 shares on Threads, a check by MARKETING-INTERACTIVE saw. While some users said they lost trust in the shop after watching the video, some said addressing the seriousness of food safety issues with only a warning instead of dismissal is a public relations disaster.

Known for its artisanal gelato, Dood Bottega Gelateria gelato offers scoops starting at HK$69, with some fresh fruit flavours costing up to HK$160 per scoop, a check by MARKETING-INTERACTIVE saw on online food and restaurant guide Openrice.

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