China: Restaurant rewards obese men and thin women

A restaurant in China is offering men discounts if they're overweight - but women pay less for being thin, it's been reported.

The Na Huo eatery in Chongqing, south-west China, is trying to attract more customers with promotions based on customers' size, the China Radio International website reports. As a male diner's weight increases, so do the discounts, and if a man weighs more than 140 kg (22 stone) then he eats for free. But it's the opposite for women, who only get their food bill covered if they weigh less than 34.5kg (5st 6lb), the website says. Promotional photos posted on the restaurant's Weibo social media page show diners being weighed with staff looking on. "Na Huo restaurant cares about fat people and thin people. Bring your fat or thin friends, eat for free," it says on the page. A similar gimmick was used by a restaurant in the US city of Las Vegas in 2010, which offered free meals to obese customers. The Heart Attack Grill served up 10,000-calorie burgers, but its owner has since told people to stay away and eat more healthily.

Most Chinese social media users find the idea funny, but one Weibo user is concerned about the rules for female diners: "A weight of 34.5kg or lower is what level of thinness?" Anyone hoping to bulk up - or slim down - to take advantage of the offer doesn't have much time. When 2014 ends, all customers will become equal again, regardless of their size.

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