A dispute between a foreign tourist and a restaurant owner in Phuket has attracted widespread attention online after the customer allegedly refused to pay for a meal, claiming to have found a strand of hair in a bowl of Tom Yum soup.

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The incident was shared by the Phuket Times Facebook page, which said it took place at a made-to-order restaurant in Rawai, Mueang district, Phuket. According to the post, the tourist complained after finishing the meal and refused to settle the bill, alleging the hair had been found in the soup.

The page quoted the restaurant owner as claiming the customer may have pulled out his own hair and placed it in the bowl. She said the strand appeared to have a white root attached, leading her to question whether it had been freshly removed.

The owner, who has operated the restaurant for more than 10 years, said she had never experienced a similar complaint. She explained that she always wears a hair covering while preparing food and checks every dish before it is served.

According to the owner, the customer, believed to be Russian, ordered several dishes including rice, Tom Yum Goong and other menu items. She said there were no problems during the meal until he called her over after eating and pointed to the hair in the soup.

She said she asked the customer about the apparent hair root, at which point he appeared to hesitate. However, she claimed he continued to insist that the restaurant was responsible and ultimately refused to pay for the food.

The Facebook post prompted numerous comments from social media users, with some calling for police to investigate, others suggesting restaurants install CCTV cameras to provide evidence in similar disputes, and several criticising the alleged behaviour if the owner’s account proves accurate.

The restaurant owner said the incident had left her feeling disheartened, particularly at a time when the economy and tourism remain sluggish and business is already difficult. She urged other restaurant operators to remain vigilant, saying she never expected to encounter such a situation herself.

ThaiRath reported that at present, the allegations are based solely on the restaurant owner’s account and video footage shared on social media. There has been no confirmation that a police complaint has been filed, and no response has been reported from the tourist accused in the incident.

Picture courtesy of Phuket Times

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Adapted by ASEAN Now ThaiRath 8 July 2026

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Crooked customers....crooked restaurant owners.....pity.

For some reason I suspect the customer was scamming for a free meal.

it happens to me too that I find a hair in my food. Last week I baked a cake and in the package of butter there was a black hair nin the butter. It can not be mine as I am white grey.. anyway I took it away and continued. But in food too sometimes there is a hair. And I don't know how it can but even with a covered head it can happen..In this case if the customers sees the hair and doesn't agree complain immediately and not when the bill is coming. The bowl of soup than should not be paid or replaced.. Not at the end of the meal when the dinner is finished

Load of fuss over nothing.....a thumb or half a mouse, then yes....I'd kick off

A well known way to attempt to get a refund, the customer should have. drawn attention to the hair before consumption.

Can tell he's a tourist.

It's Asia man.....you're lucky that's all that was in the soup!!

That hair hasn't fallen out, it's been pulled out by the root. That's a very noticeable difference.

Jeez, just take the hair out and continue eating. Mention it on the way out.

It's not like you're going to contract Ebola from it.

When are they going to go home ? Phuket has been off my travel list for 2 years.

One of the oldest tricks in the book. Gypsies used to do that in San Francisco to get a free meal.

A whole slew of 'em would come in and claim the hair in the dish trick after they ate their asses off.

You can’t eat the whole meal and then complain about the hair in the soup. He should had paid for his other items and had the soup removed from the bill if he had not eaten the soup too.

Well at least it's not a pubic hair, count yourself lucky

I was in a well known restaurant in Rawai a few years ago. We complained that the Tom Yum Pla was inedible because the fish was old. Complained 2-3 times. They never took the soup away or off the bill. We ate the rest of the food, did not eat the soup and paid the bill. It wasn't worth the time, money or aggravation to complain anymore. We didn't go back, but that's another story.

Guy was scamming. You don't eat everything and then complain.

CCTV now in all restaurants?

I heard from restaurant owner this is a normal tactic from Israelis that want to eat for free, they even drop hair on the food in purpose.

How did humans ever last long enough to evolve into scammers like this? Humans were not 'hunter/gatherers' so much as scavenger/gathers, often stealing kills from leopards... you can bet some insects, hairs, god knows what were in the food we ate for a few million years....

***** but to bring us up to date regarding 'clean' food, some numbers of what is okay

US Food & Drug administration regulations regarding "Title 21, Code of Federal Regulations, Part 110.110 allows the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to establish maximum levels of natural or unavoidable defects in foods for human use that present no health hazard."

for instance, noodles allow" Average of 225 insect fragments or more per 225 grams in 6 or more subsamples; Average of 4.5 rodent hairs or more per 225 grams in 6 or more subsamples."

peanut butter: Average of 30 or more insect fragments per 100 grams

wheat flour : Average of 75 or more insect fragments per 50 grams

https://www.fda.gov/food/current-good-manufacturing-practices-cgmps-food-and-dietary-supplements/food-defect-levels-handbook

Coffee Beans: Up to 10 milligrams or more of animal waste per pound.

Accidentally eating a stray hair is not a health hazard. Hair is composed of keratin, a chemically inactive protein. While a strand may briefly carry trace bacteria, swallowing a single hair will not cause illness. The protein itself cannot be digested and will simply pass through your system.

Maybe restaurant should have asked customer for hair sample and also offending bit of hair. Tell woman hair will be sent to lab for DNA comparison. If identical, customer will be taken to court for fraud. Ask for $100 deposit for testing, and if no match, will get money back.

20 minutes ago, brfsa2 said:

I heard from restaurant owner this is a normal tactic from Israelis that want to eat for free, they even drop hair on the food in purpose.

Why fabricate and post a false statement? Are you this full of hate that you are unable to control your ignorance?

54 minutes ago, LALes said:

One of the oldest tricks in the book. Gypsies used to do that in San Francisco to get a free meal.

A whole slew of 'em would come in and claim the hair in the dish trick after they ate their asses off.

Why would there be gypsies in San Francisco, and why would you think that they would get a free meal from finding a hair?

It doesn't happen. Restaurants don't give free meals because of a hair. They will exchange the food item.

This is just nonsense.

1 hour ago, Searat7 said:

When are they going to go home ? Phuket has been off my travel list for 2 years.

I guess we have to wait until the ruble takes a serious dive. But then Phuket, with a bunch of bankrupt Russians is gonna be chaos.

3 hours ago, MIke B Bad said:

Load of fuss over nothing.....a thumb or half a mouse, then yes....I'd kick off

we had lunch at a "famous corner restaurant in Hua Hin.... wife found a roach in the food...

told her she was lucky it was the whole thing and not the uneaten half ! ..... waiter removed the price of the dish from the bill

1 hour ago, Srikcir said:

CCTV now in all restaurants?

Along with DNA swap before ordering. JIC

Enough evidence there to do a DNA test. Consequences....oh sorry, TIT.

In normal circumstances they would change the dish, if it were me, for a single hair I wouldn't even complain.

You can't finish a meal and then find an excuse to complain, that is just straightforward cheating.

52 minutes ago, Luuk Chaai said:

we had lunch at a "famous corner restaurant in Hua Hin.... wife found a roach in the food...

told her she was lucky it was the whole thing and not the uneaten half ! ..... waiter removed the price of the dish from the bill

We had similar in Kalasin when my family came, the shame was, it was me who recommended the place!

Same result, they apologised and knocked the dish off the bill.

I know the owner, so we both laughed and dismissed it, saving us all face.

When my wife is cooking, she wears a white chef’s cap - no problems since.

Checked AI and Internet.

There is virtually zero risk of a hair strand causing any medical problems. It will pass through your digestive system and pass. (If this customer was concerned why was the remaining portion of the food now magically safe to Eat?)

The concern is the belief that a kitchen is less hygienic than standard. #For some reason through generations we are taught to overreact and almost gag.

For long stay foreigners in Thailand

My experience with restaurants in Thailand is depending on the food issue an appropriate level of concern or response is warranted. Take a photo. Alert the staff, if it's a higher level sanitary problem, return the dish or have it removed with your request (A new dish to be made, partial payment, or remove from bill). The photo is to better understand the issue if an outside mediator is needed (Police, Restaurant Manager or Owner).

Lower level concerns. Use digression with knowledge of Thai Society and notify the staff while abiding by the (stay calm, quiet voice, choose appropriate words [Saving Face] and use the Translation App for better understanding.)

Ah, the good ol´ hair in the soup trick.😂😂😂

She should have deducted the hair from the bill.

4 hours ago, howerde said:

Well at least it's not a pubic hair, count yourself lucky

Could be a Japanese pubic hair.