Buffet enthusiasts shut down Chengdu restaurant
An all-you-can-eat restaurant in Chengdu, China went bankrupt shortly after buffet enthusiasts ate all the stock at the establishment.
People love a good all-you-can-eat deal. The variety of food on offer and the limited time within which to eat it all presents a fun challenge.
How many types of meat can you pile onto your plate before you start to look ridiculous? Is it acceptable to eat dessert first, or to make a meal entirely out of side dishes?
The possibilities are endless.
$18 for a month's worth of food? What were they thinking? https://t.co/1lWWO2TobI
— Shanghaiist.com (@shanghaiist) June 18, 2018
The owners of Jaimener, a restaurant in Chengdu, China, found out the hard way that even at a buffet one can indeed run out of options.
ALSO READ: We made someone's Monday by taking the circus to them
Reports state that Jaimener launched an all-you-can-eat membership card on 1 June; customers who paid the 120 yuan ($18) monthly fee would be allowed to eat as much food as they can at any time of day at the restaurant. As there was no way to verify membership, cards were used multiple times by different people to redeem cheap meals.
Queues started at 08:00 and there was a steady stream of customers until late. On 12 June, Jaimener mounted a notice outside its doors stating that it was going out of business.
The cheap special had become so popular that the restaurant ran out of food to serve to customers. In just under two weeks, the restaurant went bankrupt.
The buffet enthusiasts who frequented the Chengdu establishment ate the owners out of house and home.
One of the owners of the restaurant, Su Zhe, said the aim of introducing the loyalty card was to win new customers. Su Zhe told a local news site: "[I] knew that the scheme would end up causing some loss, but did not expect things to get out of control."
ALSO READ: Takeaway Wednesday: The famous Mac & Cheese