Customers going into the popular Hunan chain Chuiyan Fried Beef, in the city of Changsha, were asked to weigh themselves on a set of scales and provide personal information.
The restaurant would then suggest menu items based on their physique.
The guide recommended customers order different dishes based on the person’s weight and the calorie content of the food.
For example, women weighing less than 40 kilograms were recommended the chain’s signature beef dish and a fish head, while men weighing more than 80 kilograms were recommended dishes including braised pork belly.
Signs around the restaurant encouraged diners to “clean your plate” and “be thrifty and diligent”.
Facing online accusations of fat shaming, Chuiyan Fried Beef said in a statement Saturday that it was trying to help curb food wastage.
The restaurant chain said customers hadn’t been forced to step on the scales – and while it “deeply regretted” the controversy, it would still allow customers to weigh themselves at its outlets.
“Netizens are welcome to come to the store to experience it and give their comments and suggestions,” the statement said.
Chinese President Xi Jinping announced a food waste minimisation campaign on August 11, as China continues to grapple with a slowing economy.
The country has also faced a number of food crises over the past year, with record flooding ruining rice crops and a swine fever epidemic leading to the mass culling of pigs.
Reported with CNN Wire