Is coffee served from a former public toilet legal in Gansu

A public toilet in Zhengning County, Qingyang, Gansu, in use for 30 years, was renovated over about a month into a Lucky Cup freshly ground coffee shop. The housing and construction department then sealed the premises, saying the project lacked planning and construction permits and had arbitrarily changed the property's use. The brand said the site failed franchise conditions because of property rights issues and would not pass headquarters review.

The building's second floor houses a local bathhouse, making it a landmark residents have known for decades. Locals and online commenters reacted with surprise, questioning whether customers would buy coffee at the site of an old public toilet. The case illustrates the approval and property rights obstacles that arise when public facilities are converted for commercial coffee service.

Recently, a public toilet in Zhengning County, Qingyang, Gansu, which had been in operation for 30 years, was converted into a Lucky Cup freshly ground coffee shop, sparking heated discussion among local residents and netizens. The second floor of the building is a bathhouse, which is quite well-known locally. After a month of renovation, the coffee brand sign was put up, but the shop was suddenly sealed off. The housing and construction department responded that the project was an illegal renovation because it had not obtained planning and construction permits and had arbitrarily changed the use of the property, and it has been sealed according to law. The brand also stated that the store in question did not meet franchise conditions due to property rights issues and would not pass review by the headquarters. The incident reflects the approval and property rights difficulties involved in converting public facilities for commercial use.

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Recently, a netizen on social media exposed that a public toilet in Zhengning County, Qingyang, Gansu, had been converted into a coffee shop of a certain chain brand.

According to local residents, the renovated building is a public toilet in the county seat that has served for 30 years, while the second floor houses a bathhouse, making it something of a landmark locally: "The public toilet has been open for 30 years, everyone in the county knows it." On October 21, a netizen noticed that after about a month of renovation, the public toilet had been fitted with a "Lucky Cup Freshly Ground Coffee" sign, and it looked like it would soon open for business.

In the face of "public toilet turned coffee shop," both local citizens and onlooking netizens generally expressed surprise and confusion. Many admitted that as soon as they heard the coffee shop used to be a public toilet that had existed for 30 years, they felt uncomfortable and found it hard to accept such an abrupt transformation: "Who would drink coffee at the former site of a public toilet?"

In the view of many users, even if the merchant invested money and effort into serious renovation, a trendy and stylish storefront cannot change the fixed impression of this building in local people's minds. When consumers face this coffee shop converted from a 30-year-old public toilet, it is hard for them to avoid feeling uncomfortable, and some customers will subconsciously have doubts about the food safety of the beverage shop, or even feel resistant toward the merchant.

However, some also pointed out that it is not uncommon for underused public facilities to be converted into commercial storefronts, and believed that turning this 30-year-old public toilet into a coffee shop may be a local renovation project, so onlookers need not be too surprised. Many said that such a renovation might revitalize the public facility, give it new functions, and even become a new local landmark.

Just as netizens were discussing it heatedly, local residents said that the coffee shop, which was originally expected to open soon, was suddenly sealed off a few days earlier, and a seal was pasted on the locked roll-up door. As for the specific reason the store was sealed, local residents said they were not clear.

Regarding this incident, a reporter from Jiupai News asked the Zhengning County Housing and Construction Bureau. A staff member replied that the renovation project had been sealed according to law because its approval procedures were incomplete: "During routine inspections, it was found that the building in question arbitrarily changed its use without obtaining planning and construction permits, which constitutes an illegal renovation."

The Zhengning County Urban Management Comprehensive Law Enforcement Bureau said in an interview, "There are two parts to the property rights here, which is relatively complicated, and it is currently being handled," and said that no complaints regarding food safety had yet been received. As for whether the venue would be allowed to operate in the future, the staff member said, "It cannot be determined for the time being; it will be decided after the procedures are completed and the disputes are resolved."

In addition, a media reporter called the chain brand's official customer service to learn about the situation of the store involved. The other party responded that because of property rights issues, the store did not meet the brand's franchise conditions, so it had not started operating. The store involved has now been required to close, and it will not pass the headquarters' relevant review in the future.

Image source: Internet

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