In September 2022, Xiabu Group — the parent of the hotpot chain Xiabu Xiabu — launched Chenshao (趁烧), a high-end barbecue brand positioned at RMB 250 and above per customer, combining barbecue with alcohol and tea. The first store in Shanghai reportedly achieved average monthly revenue of over RMB 2.5 million. The group planned to open at least 30 stores per year from 2024.
The expansion never materialised. Chenshao opened stores in Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen, but the chain contracted as China's consumption downgrade intensified and competition in the restaurant sector sharpened. By March 2024, only two stores remained. On 31 July 2024, the last store — at Shanghai's Longhuahui mall — was listed as closed on the Dianping platform.
Xiabu Group was itself under financial pressure and moved to stop losses on the barbecue track. The brand lasted less than two years from launch to final closure, a fraction of the timeline needed to establish a high-end restaurant concept.
The first store's ¥2.5M monthly revenue was treated as replicable, but the flagship's success didn't survive rollout; all stores closed in under two years.
The RMB 250+ price point was launched into a market that was actively trading down — the consumption downgrade of 2022-2024 hit high-end dining hardest
The 30-stores-per-year target assumed the first store's revenue was replicable, but a flagship in Shanghai's best location is not a template for rapid rollout
Xiabu Group's core hotpot business was itself under pressure, so the parent lacked the financial runway to let a new concept find its footing
The 'barbecue + alcohol + tea' format added operational complexity without a clear moat against established barbecue chains at lower price points
A flagship's first-month revenue is not a business plan — a high-end concept in a consumption downgrade needs a parent with the runway to wait, not a 30-store rollout target.
Xiabu Group abandoned the barbecue track and refocused on its core hotpot brands. The Chenshao closure was cited in Chinese restaurant industry coverage as an example of how the 2022-2024 consumption downgrade killed high-end sub-brands that were launched at the top of the market.
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