Why Did the Kunming Coffee Shop Restroom Case Divide Viewers?

A coffee shop in Kunming, Yunnan, refused a pregnant woman the use of its restroom after she entered a second time without asking staff, and the two sides argued. The woman and a man with her filmed the exchange, posted it online, and left a negative review; the shop then released surveillance footage, and the incident drew wide discussion.

The shop said staff had allowed a first restroom visit early in the morning before opening, then directed her to a public toilet later. The woman said the public toilet outside was locked at the time. For coffee for coffee shops, the case highlights a recurring problem: restrooms are meant for paying customers, yet passersby often ask to use them, and refusal can turn into a public relations issue.

Recently, a coffee shop in Kunming, Yunnan, became embroiled in an online controversy after refusing to let a pregnant woman use its restroom. The shop said the pregnant woman used the store's toilet twice without the staff's consent; after being reminded the second time, an argument broke out between the two sides. The pregnant woman and a man accompanying her filmed a video and posted it online, and also left a bad review for the coffee shop on a third-party platform. The shop then released surveillance footage to set the record straight, and the incident quickly sparked heated discussion among netizens. Some understood the pregnant woman's inconvenience, but more people believed that whether a business's restroom can be used should be decided by the shop, and that the pregnant woman going upstairs on her own posed safety risks. Behind this dispute lies the dilemma that coffee shops and other businesses face when passersby ask to "borrow the toilet."

▲

Click to follow | Daily specialty coffee culture magazine Coffee Workshop

Recently, a coffee shop in Kunming, Yunnan, got into a conflict with a pregnant woman who came to borrow the restroom. To explain what happened, the shop posted its surveillance footage online.

According to the shop, early that morning, while the coffee shop had not yet officially opened and the staff were doing prep work, the pregnant woman in the video came to borrow the toilet once. Seeing that she was pregnant and that no customers had arrived yet, the staff agreed to let her use the restroom.

But by noon, the pregnant woman came to the shop again. This time, without greeting any staff, she went straight into the toilet. When the staff noticed, they told her that the store's restroom was not for public use and directed her to a public toilet outside. But the pregnant woman did not accept this, saying she was pregnant and could not hold it.

00:52

When the pregnant woman came out of the restroom, the staff, somewhat displeased by her behavior, muttered a few words, saying, "Using the toilet costs 10 yuan."

The two sides exchanged words, and the argument quickly escalated from a verbal spat into a quarrel. The pregnant woman and the man with her filmed the whole process and posted it online.

The parties involved said that the public toilet outside was locked at the time, so she went to the coffee shop to borrow the restroom, and felt the shop's attitude was very poor. She then left a bad review for the coffee shop on a third-party platform.

After the matter blew up, the coffee shop came under online attack, so it released the surveillance footage from inside the store. The shop said that the in-store restroom is not a public toilet, and that the pregnant woman first used it without permission, then during the argument she and the man with her insulted the staff and filmed videos, and afterward left a bad review for the store. These actions were infuriating, so it had no choice but to make the video public to clarify what had happened.

After this dispute spread online, it quickly drew netizens' attention and discussion.

Many people felt that if the public toilet was really unavailable as the parties claimed, it was understandable for a passerby to ask a street-side shop to borrow a restroom. But more people believed that a coffee shop is a business premises, not a public area, and whether the in-store restroom is used should be up to the operator. The parties using it without the staff's consent was inappropriate.

In addition, some noticed from the video that the shop's restroom appeared to be on the second floor. The pregnant woman went upstairs by herself to use the restroom without telling the staff. If something had happened in the restroom or on the stairs, the consequences would not be something the coffee shop could afford to bear. Therefore, some felt that the shop's refusal to let her use the restroom in order to avoid risks was understandable.

In most people's impression, coffee shops are mostly exquisitely decorated and fully equipped, able to provide customers with good service. So when some people encounter an emergency, they will go to nearby cafes and other places to seek help.

But for operators, if passersby all treat the in-store restroom as a public toilet, first, it may prevent paying customers from using it normally; second, it increases expenses for water, electricity, and daily supplies, and requires arranging staff to clean it regularly, bringing trouble to the store's daily operations. Precisely for this reason, many operators will refuse passersby's requests to "borrow the toilet" depending on the situation, and even lock the restroom, telling only in-store customers the password.

However, although operators have their own difficulties, most people said that if they really find themselves in urgent need, they still hope the shop will do them a favor, and they will also buy a cup of coffee to support the shop's business. After all, one good turn deserves another.

Image source: Internet

Disclaimer: Some images in this article are from the Internet. For some content on the website, such as images, we will respect the original author's copyright and indicate the source. However, due to the large quantity, a few images and texts may not be credited in time. Please forgive us. If the original author has any disputes, they can contact the website for handling. Once verified, we will correct it immediately. Compiled and edited by "Coffee Workshop." Please indicate the source when reprinting. If there is infringement, please inform us for deletion. Thank you~!

The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.