**Expansion of “China Burger” Chain Raises Food Safety Concerns**
The Tustin dining brand, known for its “China Burger” signature, is rapidly expanding in the Shandong region, with an average of 1.1 new stores opening daily. However, behind this race for expansion, food safety issues loom large, with consumer complaints on the rise, putting the brand’s reputation at serious risk.
Recently, a consumer purchased a 22.8 yuan burger combo at the Tustin Jinan Tianqiao Danfeng Street store, only to discover that the burger patty was undercooked, with a tough texture that was difficult to chew. When the consumer raised this serious issue with the staff, they dismissively explained that it was just “fat, not raw meat.”
Subsequently, the consumer contacted Tustin’s official customer service seeking a reasonable solution, but only received a simple refund, lacking any follow-up corrective measures or sincere response. This perfunctory handling left the consumer disappointed and exposed serious flaws in Tustin’s food safety management and customer service.
The food safety issues at Tustin are not isolated incidents. As early as October 2023, the “Tustin Served Raw Chicken” incident caused a stir on the internet. In October 2024, a netizen in Guangzhou once again exposed a raw meat burger incident at a Tustin store on social media, quickly trending on search lists.
As of August 7, statistics show that complaints against Tustin on the Heimao Complaints Platform have reached a total of 6240 cases, with “raw burger meat” topping the complaint list, along with issues such as foreign objects in food, insufficient freshness of ingredients, and consumers experiencing vomiting after dining. These data clearly reflect systemic deficiencies in Tustin’s food quality control.
Based on the handling of similar past incidents, Tustin’s response strategies often remain at a simple refund or formal apology level. The media believes that such a “treating the symptom rather than the root cause” approach clearly fails to address consumers’ deep-seated concerns about its food safety and quality management system.
According to the Economic Guide Report, the Tustin brand is operated by Fuzhou Tustin Catering Management Co., Ltd. Since its establishment in 2012, with the catchy slogan “It’s the Chinese stomach, love Chinese burger” and the differentiated positioning of “China Burger,” it has launched a large-scale store expansion offensive nationwide.
Public data shows that Tustin’s national store openings increased from 2315 in 2022 to 3769 in 2023, and adjusted to 2338 in 2024. As of June 11, 2024, Tustin has successfully established 9600 operating stores in 310 cities in 29 provinces nationwide, forming a huge chain network.
In the Shandong market, Tustin’s expansion pace is particularly noteworthy. As of August 7, the brand has opened 589 stores in 16 cities in Shandong. What’s more remarkable is that compared to 556 stores a month ago, Tustin has added 33 stores within 30 days, equivalent to an average of 1.1 new stores daily.
However, as the number of stores rapidly increases, many consumers have expressed disappointment in Tustin’s product quality and value for money. Some consumers bluntly stated that the “taste has changed” and “prices have increased,” feeling dissatisfied with the overall brand experience. This consumer feedback, coupled with ongoing food safety issues, further exacerbates the public’s trust crisis in the Tustin brand.