HANGZHOU - A restaurant in Zhejiang province sparked an outcry after it offered discounts to women depending on their bra sizes.

Trendy Shrimp, which specialises in seafood, was on the receiving end of complaints from the public for its controversial promotion, which it titled "The whole city is looking for breasts".

Posters put up by the restaurant on Aug 1 depicted seven drawings of women in their underwear, each with different cup sizes.

Discounts ranged from 5 per cent for the smallest cup size to a whopping 65 per cent for the biggest.

One complaint, according to the Qianjing Evening Post, said the posters were "vulgar advertising" and discriminating against women.

The posters have since been removed, although Trendy Shrimp's general manager Lan Shenggang defended the sales strategy and revealed that the number of customers increased by 30 per cent.

To prevent any awkward incidents, Mr Lan said female employees were tasked with settling the bill for customers.

He added: "Some of the girls we met were very proud... they had nothing to hide."