In the Shaanxi province of Tongchuan, a barbecue restaurant owner named Ma Jianping, who looks remarkably like Elon Musk, unexpectedly gained popularity after a short video taken by a customer went viral. Internet users jokingly dubbed him “Roastusk” and within a day, he gained over 50,000 followers, turning his once quiet business into a bustling one.
On July 26, a customer dining at the “Yilan Restaurant” in the Yaozhou District of Tongchuan, Shaanxi, shared a video of Ma Jianping grilling skewers online. Due to his striking resemblance to Tesla’s CEO Elon Musk, the video quickly garnered over 800,000 likes. The comment section was flooded with creative photo edits, and netizens playfully referred to him as “Musk of Shaanxi,” “Roastusk,” and “Musk making money in all ways.”
On July 28, the barbecue restaurant owner opened a personal social media account under the name “Roastusk Ma Jianping” and posted his first video responding to his sudden fame. In the video, Ma Jianping mentioned that many people say he looks like Musk, but he is just an ordinary barbecue chef. Currently, the account has amassed 54,000 followers.
According to the report from Shaanxi’s Bai Lu Video, many netizens rushed to the restaurant to take photos, resulting in crowded customer flow and a shortage of staff. Some customers even came specifically to offer their help.
One interviewee, Mr. Zhang, mentioned that he drove over a hundred kilometers in his Tesla to the restaurant to lend a hand. He said that since he couldn’t work at Tesla’s Gigafactory, he felt great being able to help grill skewers at “Roastusk’s” shop.
Ma Jianping revealed that he is from Pingliang, Gansu, and is 48 years old this year. He started working at the age of 14 and has worked in various places such as Hubei, Beijing, and Yinchuan to make a living. He has been in the barbecue industry for over ten years. While working in Hubei in 2022, people also mentioned his resemblance to Musk, but it never went viral online. Currently running a barbecue restaurant in Tongchuan, his business was previously slow. The video going viral was unexpected for him as he was initially unaware of it.
After the video went viral, the restaurant’s revenue doubled compared to before.
As reported by the Sanxiang Urban Daily, Ma Jianping admitted to feeling extremely nervous and never imagined that a short video would bring him such popularity. As for future plans, he mentioned that he is not entirely certain. Since gaining fame, people have reached out to him hoping for collaboration, and if suitable opportunities arise, he is willing to explore them.