Authorities in China have closed down a restaurant with male servers dressed provocatively. The ‘Macho Restaurant’ restaurant was in the popular tourist area of Xishuangbanna Dai autonomous prefecture in Yunnan province.
Authorities shut the restaurant down after videos of the waiters’ racy performances began circulating online.
The news was reported by the South China Morning Post (SCMP).
The restaurant featured tall and muscular servers dressed in revealing tank tops or going shirtless, captivating the predominantly female customers with seductive dance routines.
These performances included suggestive dancing, pole dancing-like moves known as “rod licking,” and intimate acts like feeding female diners mouth-to-mouth, wiping their mouths, and offering shoulder massages.
According to the outlet, the restaurant embraced a Thai theme, was proudly named “Thai Drum Thai Drum Thai Cuisine,” and prominently displayed a sign declaring “Macho Restaurant upstairs.”
“Business was not doing well, so to boost customer numbers, the restaurant hired well-built actors to perform. Initially, just six actors were offering relatively regular dance performances.
When customers filmed at the restaurant and shared the videos online, the restaurant owner saw it as a promotional opportunity,” a restaurant staff member told Beijing Youth Daily.
Chinese social media users had mixed reactions to the restaurant’s concept. Some likened it to a male model restaurant in Thailand, while others praised the servers’ physiques and passionate performances.
The eatery’s affordability, positive Dianping reviews, and the opportunity to request WeChat contacts from the servers increased the buzz among its patrons.
Unsplash
The restaurant’s risque performances caught the scrutiny of local authorities, who deemed them a violation of social ethics and cultural traditions. As a result, on July 26, the rules took action.
According to the outlet, they shut down the restaurant, confiscated its “illegal” earnings (totaling US$1,600), and imposed an additional fine equal to ten times the illicit income.
According to SCMP, a member of the Enforcement Bureau of the Yunnan Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism, they expressed concerns about the performances being influenced by foreign commercial shows.
They mentioned that these performances might potentially infiltrate the cultural market in the border area and undermine the preservation of our exceptional national traditional culture.
Opinions on the restaurant’s closure were divided among social media users. Some supported the authorities’ decision, while others contended that the restaurant could have restricted entry for minors, as they saw no issue with adults enjoying such entertainment.
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Source: vtt.edu.vn