Erinome: Hello dear friends! Welcome to our daily chat. Today, let’s talk about a sad story in the food world. Enceladus, have you eaten at Xibei before?  

Enceladus: Xibei? Oh right! That’s a famous Chinese restaurant chain. Their lamb dishes are so good! What’s wrong with them?  

Erinome: Sad news… They’re closing 102 stores! That’s 30% of all their stores. Can you believe it?  

Enceladus: 102 stores? Wow, that’s a lot! Is this just a rumor?  

Erinome: No, it’s true. Jia Guolong, the founder of Xibei, told the media it’s real. He didn’t lie.  

Enceladus: Why? What happened to Xibei? They were so popular before.  

Erinome: Let’s go back to September 2025. They had a big problem—“pre-made food风波 (fengbo, crisis)”. Jia Guolong said it was the biggest crisis since Xibei started.  

Enceladus: Pre-made food crisis? What’s that? Like… they used pre-cooked food instead of making fresh dishes?  

Erinome: Exactly! Many customers got angry. They said, “We pay for fresh food, not pre-made!” So people stopped going to Xibei.  

Enceladus: Oh no, that must hurt their business a lot. Did Jia Guolong say sorry?  

Erinome: Yes! In December 2025, he said, “I’m wrong. I apologize to customers, to employees, and to myself.” He really felt bad.  

Enceladus: Apologizing is good. Did that help? Did people come back?  

Erinome: They tried more. Last October and November, they gave out big coupons—over 300 million yuan in total! Like “spend 50 get 50 back”, or even free 100-yuan coupons.  

Enceladus: 300 million yuan? That’s so much money! You know, that’s like giving free meals to many people. Did it work?  

Erinome: At first, maybe. But this January, their business was still down 50% compared to last year. So… the coupons didn’t save them.  

Enceladus: Oh no… So 50% less customers? That’s really bad. Why?  

Erinome: Some people said after the pre-made food crisis, no Xibei store made money. They even lost over 500 million yuan.  

Enceladus: 500 million? That’s a huge loss! What about the costs? Like rent and salaries?  

Erinome: Jia Guolong said each store’s profit was only 5%. Last November, their total income was 265 million yuan—less than half of before. But just salaries that month? 135 million yuan!  

Enceladus: Wow, salaries alone are almost half their income. No wonder they can’t keep the stores open.  

Erinome: Right. So closing 102 stores is a hard choice. Some people say about 4,000 employees might lose their jobs. But Xibei hasn’t confirmed that yet.  

Enceladus: 4,000 people? Oh no, that’s so sad for them. Did Xibei try to help employees before?  

Erinome: Yes! Last September, they gave 500 yuan津贴 (jintie, subsidy) to front-line workers—like cooks and servers. Then in October, they added more subsidies: 300-800 yuan per person.  

Enceladus: That’s kind. But with so many stores closing… maybe those subsidies aren’t enough now.  

Erinome: Jia Guolong said he learned a lesson. He said, “I can’t be so独断专行 (duduan zhuanxing, bossy) anymore. This made me see my own幼稚 (youzhi, childish) and ignorance.”  

Enceladus: It’s brave to say that. Maybe Xibei can get better after this? Close bad stores, focus on good ones?  

Erinome: Maybe. But right now, many people will miss their favorite dishes. I loved their noodles…  

Enceladus: Me too. Let’s hope they can fix things. Business is hard, especially after a big crisis.  

Erinome: Yeah. Okay, that’s the news for today. Thanks for listening, friends.  

Enceladus: Bye everyone! Let’s talk again next time.