An all-you-can-eat restaurant in China was forced to close after customers’ hefty appetites left them bankrupt - just two weeks after they’d started the new bargain promotion.
The Chinese hot pot restaurant Jiamener, located in the city of Chengdu, began the all-you-can-eat promotion on June 1 hoping to lure customers to the restaurant, which had opened in December.
Under the promotion conditions, customers could pay just 120 yuan (£14, $19) for a membership card - which would entitle them to unlimited food for an entire month.
Hot pot is a popular traditional Chinese casserole made of meat and vegetables, and typically covered with sliced potato.
However, the problem arose when patrons began to share their membership cards with friends and family.
At the height of the restaurant’s short-lived popularity, Jiamener was serving more than 500 customers a day - with people queueing for their free meals beginning at 8am and not leaving until after midnight, according to Chengdu Economic Daily.
This unprecedented demand for food proved too much for the restaurant to afford, and after two weeks, the owners found themselves 500,000 yuan in debt (£58,574, $77,000).
Of the idea for the promotion, one of the owners said: “We knew we would be losing money. We wanted to accumulate more loyal clients through this strategy.”
Since the restaurant’s closure, people on social media have pointed out the promotion was not the best idea - considering the popularity of hot pots.
“You would not dare to play this kind of thinking in China,” one person wrote.
Another said: “Never underestimate our Chinese appetite!”
Despite the unfortunate outcome, the owners don’t blame the customers.
Co-owner Su Jie, who hadn’t slept for more than two to three hours during the “crazy” two weeks said: “The uncivilised behaviour of the diners was secondary - the main problem was our poor management.”
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