【June 7, 2026 Epoch Times】Celebrity-owned hot pot chain restaurant “Shang Shang Qian Hot Pot” recently closed its last store in Shanghai after 14 years of operation, signaling the end of this popular establishment founded by mainland Chinese singer Xue Zhiqian.
On June 4, mainstream financial media outlets in mainland China including the Shanghai Press Group’s “Blue Whale News,” “Beijing Business News,” and Red Meal Network officially reported the news of the closure of the last “Shang Shang Qian” store.
Internet users had revealed in May that the Shanghai store of Shang Shang Qian Hot Pot would be closing. On May 22, the official account of Shang Shang Qian on Little Red Book replied to a comment in the community section, stating “Tomorrow we will temporarily close for reorganization, please do not come empty-handed.” On May 23, the store officially ceased operations. In the following days, the store was seen being renovated with new barriers put up.
According to “Blue Whale News,” staff members confirmed to consumers that “this is the last store in Shanghai, once it closes, there won’t be any more.” There are no plans for reopening in other cities in the short term.
Red Meal Network attempted to contact Shang Shang Qian Hot Pot by phone but received a message saying “the phone is unreachable.” As of press time, there has been no official response regarding the closure of the Shanghai store.
The closure of Shang Shang Qian Hot Pot has been seen by many as an example of the decline of celebrity-owned restaurants in mainland China. In recent years, there have been numerous cases of mainland Chinese celebrities venturing into F&B businesses including hot pot, Western cuisine, noodle shops, milk tea and coffee shops, and bakeries. Celebrities like Chen He’s Xianhe Zhuang and Zheng Kai’s Huofeng Xiang once gained fame leveraging their star power. However, as time passed, Xianhe Zhuang faced market exits due to violations and food safety issues, while Huofeng Xiang was accused of plagiarism, leading to a mass closure following disputes with franchisees. Opening big and closing small seems to have become the norm for celebrity-owned restaurants.
“Blue Whale News” pointed out that the downfall of these celebrity-owned restaurants follows a strikingly similar pattern: they utilize marketing for initial hype, draw in customers with their popularity, but once the initial excitement fades, issues arise with management not keeping pace, or popularity being high but quality control not stable. After fans check-in, take photos, and share on social media, the novelty wears off. Once consumers lose interest, the shortcomings of product, environment, and service become apparent, leading to a rapid loss of customer flow, even the brightest halo will gradually fade.
The fate of Shang Shang Qian is not just the exit of a celebrity restaurant brand, but a mirror reflecting the collective dilemma of fame-driven dining establishments.
It’s not just celebrity-owned restaurants, the entire restaurant industry brand cycle in China is shortening. According to the 2026 White Paper on the Development of China’s Restaurant Chain, among all businesses that closed on platforms in 2025, a total of 65.1% of closed stores had been operating for less than 2 years.
“Insider Guide for Restaurant Owners” believes that compared to the past, the life cycle of traditional restaurant brands used to be relatively stable, with a successful brand staying popular for more than ten years. However, nowadays, a brand might go viral overnight due to a short video. After becoming popular, the window of popularity is very short. Previously being popular for 3-5 years, now entering a period of fatigue after just 1-2 months has become the norm.
Public records show that Shang Shang Qian Hot Pot was founded in 2012 in Shanghai by Xue Zhiqian and friends. The restaurant reached its peak in 2017, and in February 2019, Xue Zhiqian withdrew from the company as a shareholder.