Recently, a self-service fast-food restaurant on a small alley in the Tianqiao district of Jinan has gone viral because of a negative review about it serving “too little food”. Many netizens jokingly rallied in support of the restaurant, declaring it “unevenly treated.” On May 23, a reporter visited this fast-food joint to investigate.
A tiny shop instantly filled with just three customers
Weaving through the twists and turns of a small road off Lishan Road, you enter one of the few remaining urban villages in Jinan—Liuxing Village. Here, separated from Daming Lake by only a street, 90s kid Xiao Meng runs his CNY 5 self-service fast-food restaurant.
(The owner, Xiao Meng, is the person on the right)
At 4 p.m. on the 23rd, the reporter saw Xiao Meng, who was busy stir-frying shredded potatoes, sweating profusely as he prepared for the evening business. The reporter noticed that this CNY 5 self-service fast-food restaurant has a space of merely about ten square meters, with the kitchen taking up more than half and the serving area filling the remaining space. Two folding tables occupy the entire dining area.
“Mostly for take-out, but you can dine in too. It’s just a bit cramped, only three people, and it’s packed,” Xiao Meng said jokingly. In one evening, he stir-fries 6-8 types of dishes, all seasonal vegetables, for CNY 5 per serving, and customers can serve themselves as long as it fits in the meal box. Rice is extra, CNY 1 per serving, and customers also serve themselves. “There are many takeout riders and construction workers around, and I mainly serve this group to provide affordable, large portions to fill you up,” said Xiao Meng.
Soon, more and more customers trickled in. “What’s on the menu today?” “Today’s extra meal includes meat, should be ready soon.” Xiao Meng, cooking, replied, “Great, I’ll be over to serve soon.” This customer buys meals here nearly half the time each month, said Xiao Meng.
Xiao Meng told the reporter that even before the recent fame, his business wasn’t bad. “Opening at 4 p.m. every day until about 9 p.m., all the cooked dishes are sold out each day.” However, Xiao Meng never imagined that his tiny shop, which was so small that “turning around is a struggle,” would experience a whirlwind of internet success and warmth.
A single negative review sparked heated debate among netizens
The story dates back to three months ago, when Xiao Meng was still stuck in a “half-hanging state” in life. “It’s been years since I graduated, but I’ve always faced obstacles. I ended up working in the back office of a food and beverage company with half-day shifts.” said Xiao Meng, “After work, I’d bury myself in rental playing video games, rather aimless.”
This area is one of the few remaining urban villages in central Jinan, a gathering place for migrant workers. Sometimes, Xiao Meng would come out for a stroll at night, often seeing young migrant workers crouched on steps eating steamed buns with pickled vegetables. Although there are many eateries nearby, few focus on fast food. Xiao Meng figured he could open an affordable fast-food place to provide workers with homestyle meals at a reasonable price, and also make it a side business for himself.
With limited funds, Xiao Meng found a shop space with a monthly rent of only CNY 830. After calculating costs, he set the price to a minimum, finally deciding on CNY 5 per self-service boxed meal. During his free time, Xiao Meng would promote his shop through short videos and online group purchases to increase exposure.
However, just last month, in the second month of business, Xiao Meng received a negative review stating, “too little food, still expensive.”
“I was indeed upset seeing the negative review initially, but there’s nothing to be done. You can’t please everyone with anything,” Xiao Meng continued his business and made videos until his “three people full seating” video went viral, unexpectedly drawing attention to the negative review as well.
Initially, everyone was focused on the negative review in heated discussions. Later, people flocked to the comments section like discovering a new continent: “Is there an emperor crab for CNY 5 self-service?” “Boss, I’d like a pan-fried steak, please, medium rare.” Hilariously, someone even added “Australian lobsters” and “Buddha Jumps Over the Wall” to the group purchase page’s “Recommended Dishes.” Watching these comments, Xiao Meng laughed until he cried, interacting with netizens, “It turns out getting teased can be this warm.”
Strangers sent in “luxury complements”
“A month of promotion doesn’t match up to a single negative review,” joked Xiao Meng when talking about this negative comment. For the past two weeks, “fans” continued to patronize his small shop. Pointing at several cases of chicken tail drinks at the entrance, Xiao Meng explained they were sent by a fan from Guangzhou, and others sent homegrown bacon and beef, “to ‘add dishes’ to my shop.”
There are also many heartfelt replies behind the scenes of the short video: “Flying to Jinan next week, bringing you two kilos of hometown yellow beef,” “Sending you some wind shelter stir-fried crabs”…
Running the shop alone is indeed very busy. Xiao Meng once thought about transferring the shop. “Just days ago, I felt working double shifts was too exhausting, so I closed for a few days,” said Xiao Meng, adding that during those days, people kept urging him to run the business.
“It’s everyone’s goodwill that has helped ‘prop up’ my little shop,” Xiao Meng stated, “Over the years, I’ve faced many setbacks and never managed to accomplish much. Now not only has the fast-food business improved, but life has also become richer and more colorful. Everyone’s encouragement gives me the motivation to keep going.”
Currently, Xiao Meng has returned all the ingredients sent by fans to customers, turning them into “fan-exclusive dishes.” “Most are just struggling workers around here; life’s not easy for anyone, I’m just passing on the goodwill,” said Xiao Meng jokingly, “Now that there’s beef, bacon, and drinks for CNY 5, there shouldn’t be any more ‘negative reviews’.”
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