Taiwan’s famous chain chicken cutlet store “How How Big Chicken Cutlet” has been in China for 12 years, and announced through WeChat public account on December 6 that all stores in mainland China will be closed by December 31. The news quickly climbed to the top 2 on the hot search list.
Founded in Taiwan in 1992, “How How Big Chicken Cutlet” is one of the famous foods in the Shilin Night Market. It entered mainland China in 2010, and when the first store opened in Shanghai, it caused a frenzy of lining up. Due to rampant counterfeiting in mainland China, in order to distinguish itself, “How How Big Chicken Cutlet” changed its name to “Authentic How How Big Chicken Cutlet” to emphasize its authenticity.
“The face is bigger than the face” was once a prominent label of Authentic How How Big Chicken Cutlet. However, surprisingly, on the 6th, “How How Big Chicken Cutlet” suddenly announced its closure.
According to the closure notice from “How How Big Chicken Cutlet”, the store in Shanghai Xintiandi will stop operation on December 26, 2024. All other stores in other regions of mainland China will also close before December 31, 2024. Stores in Hong Kong, Taiwan, and authorized regions overseas will continue to operate as usual.
In recent years, the competition in the fried chicken cutlet market in mainland China has become increasingly fierce. According to data from the red meal, as of September 2024, there are more than 170,000 fried chicken cutlet stores nationwide, with an increase of over 4,000 in the past year. In terms of companies, the total number of fried chicken cutlet related companies nationwide exceeds 101,000, with more than 9,000 new registered companies from January to August 2024.
The news of “Authentic How How Big Chicken Cutlet closing all stores in mainland China” surged on the hot search list on Weibo that day.
Many mainland netizens lamented, “The end of an era.” “I really like eating at their place, it’s a pity.” “Truly grew up eating it.”
Some netizens also said, “There are too many chicken cutlet stores.” “Can’t keep up.” “The competition in the mainland market is too fierce, if you can’t survive, you have to withdraw.”