Recently, a video titled "A Woman With Five Kids Orders One Bowl of Noodles and Gets Multiple Free Refills" has gone viral in China. In the video, the noodle shop owner accuses a female customer of getting two noodle refills but finding it insufficient, then turning around and leaving a negative review for him online. The incident has sparked widespread discussion among netizens.
According to a report by Xiaoxiang Morning News, after investigation, the incident took place at a noodle shop in Zhengzhou, Henan. On August 14, the reporter contacted the shop owner, who stated that the circulated video was inaccurate—the group was actually three adults with four children. “They ordered two cold dishes, some beef tripe, one bowl of he le mian (a type of noodle), and purchased ten skewers of lamb with a group-buy.” The owner said he provided free refills the first two times the customer requested. “After the third refill, they came back again, but our chef refused. A few minutes later, she (the customer) left me a negative review.”
On the afternoon of the 14th, the reporter reached Mr. Huo, the owner of the involved restaurant. He recalled that around 7 PM on the 13th, three adult women brought four children (seven people in total) to dine at the shop. They ordered a 13-yuan he le mian, an 18-yuan beef tripe, two servings of cold dishes, and a 15.8-yuan group-buy lamb skewer platter, with the total bill amounting to just over 70 yuan (about 41 ringgit). During the meal, the adults each requested two free refills for the children.
Video footage at the scene captured about six minutes of conversation between Mr. Huo and one of the female customers. Mr. Huo said he explained that free noodle refills were available for individual orders, but since there were many kids, it would be more appropriate to buy an additional bowl. However, the female customer became emotional and insisted on further refills, and promptly left a negative review, which led to the argument seen in the video.
● Unable to Accept "One Bowl of Noodles for the Whole Family"
Mr. Huo stated that since opening three years ago, his restaurant has always had a policy of "one bowl of noodles per person, free refills until full"—meaning customers can get free additional noodles after purchasing a bowl, until they are full. However, this policy is only applicable to the individual who ordered the bowl, not entire groups or families sharing one bowl. Therefore, he could not accept the situation of “one bowl of noodles for the whole family.”
The owner said he tried to negotiate with the customer to delete the negative review, but was refused. The customer then called the police, and the local police station sent officers to mediate the situation. When the reporter called the San Guan Miao police station, a staff member confirmed that officers had been dispatched to mediate the dispute on the night of the 13th.
The owner told the reporter that after both parties arrived at the police station, "She wanted me to delete the video and she’d remove the negative review, but I refused, because I was already very upset."
According to other reports, the noodle shop owner told the reporter that the two sides ultimately failed to reach a settlement. "I do not agree (to a settlement), and if the other side insists, I will pursue legal proceedings." For now, the owner has temporarily removed the video, but says he will repost it after blurring out the faces of those involved.
The owner also said that he has been forced to revise the "free noodle refill" policy. In the future, "customers dining with children who feel one bowl is not enough and need more noodles will have to pay for additional orders."