Does this video show a robot breaking dishes and dancing in a restaurant in China? Fact Check
Claim : Video allegedly shows a robot in China that smashed dishes and started dancing instead of working.
Conclusion : The claim is misleading. The video is genuine and captures a chaotic incident but the location is falsely attributed to China. The event occurred at a Haidilao Hot Pot restaurant in California, USA.
Rating : Misleading 
Several social media users have shared a clip allegedly of a robot smashing dishes and dancing in China. Verified X user ‘TRIGGERHAPPYV1’ shared such a post with the caption : “JUST IN: A robot in China started smashing dishes and dancing instead of working” Attached to the video is a 21 second video that showcases a robot breaking things on a table. Staffers are seen trying to restrain the robot, view the post below –
JUST IN: A robot in China started smashing dishes and dancing instead of working pic.twitter.com/zUWfI0RC5N
— Crime Net (@TRIGGERHAPPYV1) March 17, 2026
Other users have shared similar claims that can be seen here and here
FACT CHECK
DigitEYE India decided to investigate this claim and found it to be misleading. The footage is authentic and shows a chaotic situation but it has been wrongly linked to China. In reality, the incident took place at a Haidilao Hot Pot outlet in California, USA.
We first watched the video and analyzed the captions layered on the clip to learn more. At around 0:05 timestamp of the video shared in the claim, the subtitles explicitly state that this happened “…at a Chinese hotspot restaurant in California.” View the screenshot of this below –
Next, we conducted a reverse image search on various keyframes of the video to confirm it’s origin. The search took us to a Youtube clip uploaded by 7NEWS Australia titled, “Restaurant staff restrain out-of-control dancing robot at Chinese restaurant in California.” From the description we learnt that “An out-of-control robot has caused chaos at a Chinese restaurant in California.”, with no mentions of this incident happening in China. View the screenshot of this below –
Following this, we conducted a web search and came across a report published by NBC News on March 19, 2026. The report confirms that this incident took place in California and three servers were required to hold the robot by a strap on its neck. The restaurant told NBC news that the robot was not malfunctioning and this incident happened because it was too close to the table. View a section of the report below –
Lastly, we searched whether such an incident occurred in China but there were no credible reports or results. Even though Haidilao is a premier Chinese hot pot restaurant chain, the incident in the claim did not occur in China. All coverage traces back to this California video and multiple reports confirm this.
Thus, the claim is misleading.
