Wellington Sushi outlet mistakenly sells soy sauce in a Coca-Cola bottle

A sushi restaurant in Wellington has apologised after accidentally selling a bottle labelled as Coca-Cola that was later discovered to contain soy sauce.

According to a report by Stuff, the incident occurred at the Manners Street branch of One Sushi on Tuesday morning, when a staff member mistakenly placed the bottle in a customer's fridge. A customer who purchased the drink later became unwell after taking a sip.

The man, who identified himself as JT, shared his experience on social media after visiting the store during his morning break. He said he picked up a 600ml bottle of Coke Zero Sugar while his colleague ordered food.

Speaking to Stuff, JT explained that he did not closely inspect the bottle at the time of purchase. It was only after returning to his worksite and taking a large sip, expecting a fizzy soft drink, that he realised something was wrong. Instead, the bottle contained soy sauce, causing him to feel immediately sick, as reported by Stuff.

JT returned to the store, where staff apologised and provided a replacement drink.

One Sushi operates as a franchise, and owner Jim Jiang said he investigated the matter with the Manners Street branch. He explained that the store had been displaying bottles near the counter to promote meal deals, but these had frequently been stolen.

In response, staff had filled a display bottle with soy sauce, believing its appearance would deter theft. However, a new employee mistakenly placed the bottle in the fridge intended for sale, Stuff has reported.

Jiang acknowledged that while the business had been trying to minimise losses during a challenging period, the practice would now be discontinued.

Despite the unpleasant experience, JT said he does not hold any resentment toward the business and plans to return. He added that he regretted posting about the incident after seeing the level of attention it attracted.

“I know they’re honest, hardworking people, and, you know, I enjoy their sushi,” he said, telling Stuff he bore them no ill will and recommending that other people give them a go, as quoted by Stuff.

Stuff has quoted that, “They’ve got good sushi,” he said.