Restaurant Chain Billionaire Crashes Out Over Influencer Review & Loses $600M In a Month

Summary

Podcast Episode Summary: Moral Of The Story

Host: Stephanie Soo
Episode: Restaurant Chain Billionaire Crashes Out Over Influencer Review & Loses $600M In a Month
Date: May 2, 2026

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Overview

This episode dives into an outrageous restaurant scandal in China, where a single influencer’s review sparked nationwide scrutiny, leading a beloved family restaurant chain, Xi Bei (“Shibei”), to lose $600 million and unravel in a very public spectacle. Host Stephanie Soo recounts the blow-by-blow of how the drama unfolded, the cultural differences around food and influencer power in China, and the company's over-the-top (and cringeworthy) attempts at damage control—all in her signature mix of humor, gossip, and disbelief. The episode is both a wild ride through contemporary food-industry scandals and a meta-commentary on social media’s ability to make or break giants.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Setting the Stage: Food Industry Dramas

• Stephanie begins with a light recap of recent food industry scandals, joking about “Burger Wars” in the US where CEOs compete to prove their relatability by eating their own burgers.
• Sets the tone for the main story: unlike influencer-restaurant squabbles in the US over free appetizers, China witnessed a full-scale takedown of a major restaurant chain via one viral influencer.

2. Introducing Xi Bei (“Shibei”): China’s Family Chain Powerhouse (03:27 - 06:31)

• Xi Bei described as China’s “Cheesecake Factory” or “California Pizza Kitchen”—mid-to-high tier, family-oriented, not fast food.
• Unique selling point: extensive healthy kids’ menu (fresh, organic, non-GMO, loads of advertising about the wholesome process).
• Pricing is considered steep for China—comparable to Din Tai Fung or Haidilao, not fast food. Kids’ meals can run 6 USD (~42 RMB).

3. The Coupon & Delivery Game in China (09:12 - 11:29)

• Coupons and delivery apps are hyper-competitive: sometimes it’s cheaper to use a delivery app coupon and pick up your meal in person.
• Contrasted with the US, where food delivery and discounts aren’t nearly so aggressive.

4. Introducing the Influencer: Lo (“Low”) (13:00 onward)

• Lo is a monotone, “dad-bod,” middle-aged, former teacher-turned-top-livestreamer, likened to “the iShowSpeed of China but also your nerdy physics teacher.”
• Has a penchant for public press conferences and relentless feuds; history of failed businesses before finding viral success live-selling products.

5. Lo’s Viral Critique: The Catalyst (13:50 - 16:29)

• Lo posts a review on Weibo (“Chinese Twitter”) claiming Xi Bei’s food is “almost all pre-prepared and disgusting,” calling for legislation on menu transparency.
• In China, the debate around “pre-prepared food” is hot—diners expect cooked-to-order meals at higher prices, not reheated “ghost kitchen”-style fare.

Quote:

“I had a meal there with my colleagues, and I realized almost everything was pre-prepared and it was still so expensive. It's honestly disgusting.”
— Lo (15:00)

6. Lo’s Background: King of Petty, Serial Entrepreneur Failures, Debate Showman (16:28 - 36:36)

• Lo’s business failures: blog network, private English school, smartphone brand (“Smartisan”), humidifier (Jose Tronco), sound system (David & Shelley), e-cigarettes, and even suitcases.
• His resilience and monotone bravado have made him beloved; known for holding press conferences to air grievances, e.g., smashing Siemens refrigerators with a mallet outside headquarters.
• Once held a viral debate with tech CEO Wang; media called it “China’s closest thing to a presidential debate.”

Memorable Quote:

"My mind is so open minded and broad that all of the enemies that I've made throughout my life could all fit in my mind and I would still find it so spacious."
— Lo (36:31)

• Lo’s only admitted defeat: confusion over Starbucks’ cup sizes (video of him slapping himself went viral).

7. Xi Bei CEO Responds… Badly (40:07 - 44:15)

• CEO Jia Gualong, equally hot-headed, immediately flies to Beijing and rants to the press—going so far as to invite the entire internet into all 370 kitchens to “see for themselves” that nothing is pre-prepared, without running the idea by anyone.

Notable Quote:

“Everyone you on the Internet who has never washed your hand, who wears shoes that have dog shit caked on the bottom, come into our kitchens and see it for yourself.”
— Jia Gualong (45:04)

8. The Great Kitchen Invasion (47:38 - 56:44)

• Chaos ensues: reporters and TikTokers flood locations, confronting baffled, under-prepared staff.
• Viral clips expose:
  • Broth made from pre-packaged bags “slow-cooked” for 6 minutes
  • Chicken, lamb, veggies arriving pre-cooked, frozen, or par-cooked, with 2-year shelf lives
  • Staff admitting almost all dishes are “semi-finished” products, not cooked-to-order
  • Employees caught entirely off guard by sudden transparency

Memorable Quote:

“At one point, they start going through the kitchen supplies, and they realize that... they have 10 knives and nine scissors, because all they do is cut open the plastic bags.”
— Stephanie (54:49)

• Netizens sympathize with staff (“most honest people ever”), but Xi Bei’s image tanks.

9. Spectacular PR Fails & Outlandish Counter-Examples (56:44 - 78:01)

• Xi Bei tries to control damage by:
  • Announcing price cuts and promotional coupons
  • Installing kitchen cameras with live feeds to dining rooms
  • Issuing cringe, obviously fabricated “heartwarming” employee-customer stories (overly dramatic, inconsistent detail, possible child labor/grooming implications)
  • Faking customer testimonials with employees posing as parents

Quotes/Internet Reactions:

“Everyone thought that Shibei had already taken off all their clothes and there was nothing left to see. But they bent over, spread their ass cheeks open and said, let me show you Mao Mao.”
— Stephanie (71:49)

• Stephanie contrasts Xi Bei’s missteps with how other chains handled crises:
  • Haidilao (hot pot giant) responds to a viral “hot pot pee” incident by fully refunding and remodeling, winning customers back with transparency and major compensation offers.
  • Bubble tea chain Mixue was put on blast for using “overnight lemons” but netizens rallied in defense: “If my lemon water doesn’t have lemons that sit out a little overnight, I don’t fucking want it.”

10. Mascot Fights & Chinese Food Culture Sidebar (62:14 - 66:01)

• Amid the food wars, brands in China send out costumed mascots (snowmen, pandas) to “fight” in the streets for viral promo content.
• Michu and Chapanda (各自为王) become cult icons; fights get so enthusiastic the costumes deflate mid-brawl. Even customer interactions for compensation become meme material.

11. The Aftermath (68:46 - end)

• Xi Bei hemorrhages $600M revenue in the wake of the scandal. Stores empty out, reputation is in freefall.
• Eventually, they issue an apology and pledge operational reforms, but their desperate, awkward PR stunts only heighten skepticism and ridicule online.
• Some stores rebound with promotions and price slashes; the drama transforms into a cautionary tale about influencer power and corporate hubris.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “Lo landed a blow on Shibei, but it wasn’t fatal. The subsequent 99 blows were self inflicted and every single one of them was fucking deadly.” (56:44)
• "Shibei couldn’t save face and ended up stabbing themselves to death." (56:44)
• “If I had known, I would have sold my house and gone to eat at Haidilao on piss day.” — on customers’ love of scandal compensation (58:28)
• “I come up with the next script. A terminally ill patient eats at Shibei. Three days later, wow, they're cured.” — On Xi Bei’s over-the-top fake PR stories (78:01)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

| Time (MM:SS) | Segment / Topic | |-------------------|------------------------------------------------------| | 03:27 – 06:31 | Xi Bei (Shibei) intro, kids’ menu, brand advertising | | 13:00 – 16:29 | Low’s review goes viral and context on pre-prepared | | 16:28 – 36:36 | Low’s backstory & battle/debate history | | 40:07 – 44:15 | CEO Jia’s impulsive response, opening all kitchens | | 47:38 – 56:44 | Viral kitchen exposé, kitchen chaos | | 56:44 – 60:39 | Comparison to Haidilao, Mixue handling controversy | | 62:14 – 66:01 | Mascot fight “culture”, food chain street dramas | | 68:46 – 78:01 | PR meltdowns, fake customer stories, aftermath |

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Tone and Style

Stephanie’s narration is informal, comedic, and laced with pop culture asides (“two boobs in a bra”, “they bent over, spread their ass cheeks open…”), leveraging humor and incredulity to narrate what becomes a farcical PR disaster. The co-hosts and guests riff conversationally, punctuating the absurd with quick-witted jabs.

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Takeaways

• A single viral influencer can turn a brand’s self-image upside down, especially when the company’s leader overreacts.
• “Transparency” stunts can backfire spectacularly if the underlying reality doesn’t match advertised values.
• In both China and the US, meme culture, influencer drama, and foodie expectations set brands up for both downfall and redemption—but the speed and scale in China, as Stephanie details, is next-level.
• Even amidst chaos, honest employees (and the public’s affection for them) can become unlikely heroes.

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Final Thoughts

This saga is less about the original accusation and more about how not to handle an influencer-fueled crisis. With unforgettable characters, wild memes, and $600M on the line, this episode offers a hilarious and insightful look at corporate self-sabotage, the power of social media, and modern food lore.

Transcript

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[Co-host]

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[Host]

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[Co-host]

He was acting like a robot.

[Host]

And then all of a sudden, Burger King CEO is like, let me show you how to eat a burger. And then it got to the point where there were too many CEOs trying to show us, the regular people, that they also can eat burgers.

[Co-host]

And then it just got weird.

[Host]

It was almost like, I want to see every single fucking CEO of every major tech company. I want to see, see how they do the dishes. Because that will tell me everything I need to know about you. Because the way someone does the dishes, it's like you've never done the dishes in your life. You can't fake it. That's not something that you can even try to play off. That's not even something that you can learn in 30 minutes. Because everyone who does the dishes regularly, they have a way that they load the dishwasher. They have a way that they do the sponge, the soap. Do you do a water soap? One plate, clean the one plate, or do you water them all so there's no food? And then you soap them all and. And then you rinse them all? What's the method? Everybody's different. And I can just tell. Anyway, that has nothing to do with today's story. Today's story is about another food war that's happening in China right now. And I've never experienced a story like this in which one influencer. Usually when you hear about influencers and restaurants, it just is going to piss you off, okay? Because it's like, hey, you do pretty well for yourself. You don't need to be doing all of that to get a free appetizer. Like, it's just not that serious. Pay for your own food, tip your waiter. It's not that serious. But this, this is a whole different level. This is not an influencer who said, I want a free meal. This is not an influencer who said, do you know who I am? Well, he did. He did do that. But this is the most batshit crazy. It's almost as if one influencer, let's say I almost take down the Cheesecake Factory. That's.

[Co-host]

That's the type of power we're talking about right now.

[Host]

But first I have to tell you about Shibe. Is that how Shiba? Have you eaten there before?

[Researcher/Guest]

No.

[Co-host]

Why?

[Researcher/Guest]

It's new. I mean, I don't know.

[Host]

Interesting. Okay, so there's this restaurant called Xi bei. It's a huge chain in China. It's like the Cheesecake Factory. It's like, what's another huge chain here that's around? P F Chang's is kind of pricey. Cheesecake Factory is kind of pricey. It's not fast food. Well, you know what? These days, Chipotle is getting crazy with their prices and their portions. But it's not like Chipotle prices. Like you go there to have a sit down meal. You might even have a birthday party there. So it's kind of like Cheesecake Factory Factory, California. California Pizza Kitchen. I always call it Chicken Kitchen. Okay?

[Co-host]

It's that level of food.

[Host]

But she Bay doesn't even market towards adults. They market towards the kids. They say, bring your kids in because we have the healthiest kid menu that you've ever seen in a chain restaurant. Here's the thing about Sheba. They say you go to any other freaking restaurant and you look at the kids menu, it's three things. It's going to be like chicken nuggets and fries, butter noodles, and that's about it. Grilled cheese. There's no real food for the kids. But she BAE said every order that you have, I mean, the kids menu is just as long as the adult menu, everything is made fresh. Everything is so good. It's the highest material. It's organic, non gmo. They do every single ad for this.

[Researcher/Guest]

Like organic and non gmo.

[Host]

The kids menu is.

[Researcher/Guest]

Oh, I see.

[Host]

So they, they do a lot of advertisements about this. They'll do family advertisements where the entire family is blindfolded.

[Co-host]

Do you see where I'm going with this?

[Host]

Could you imagine where I'm going with this?

[Researcher/Guest]

No.

[Host]

And they're all holding up their chopsticks in the air. It just says, order with your eyes closed. Every dish is delicious. It's just like every single advertisement. There's this whole advertisement where there's this little girl who's reading the menu at Shibe and she's like, what does organic mean? And then the waitress is like, I'll show you. Grabs her hand, takes her to the fields. Then she meets another girl who's the daughter of the farmer. And they're like, this is what organic means. We have to look for pests ourselves because we don't use harsh pesticides. And they have a magnifying glass and they see a ladybug. And I'm like, see, that's what would convince me to get into gardening. That's how I tried to get into gardening. And then I saw the real bugs

[Co-host]

that plants attract and I was like, fuck no. Okay, so they're like, we look for

[Host]

the pest every seed. Instead of buying two Barbie dolls, I bought this organic seed. And then they plant the seed together. And I was just like, this is cute, but also weird. And then the next one is like, this little kid is at the restaurant and is eating a lamb skewer because they're really big on lamb dishes. And she's like, why is this lamb so yummy? And the parents are like, because it's grass fed lamb.

[Co-host]

And then it just takes you to see all the lambs. And I was like, why would you do that? Why would you do that? But they do that. Okay, so with everything that Shibe has

[Host]

been promoting, your impression of the restaurant is so certainly their food is going to be made fresh on the spot, prepared with the best ingredients. The brand positions itself as a family restaurant. So you're paying premium prices. Their pricing is at a level which it's kind of like Din Tai Fung prices.

[Researcher/Guest]

Explain Din Tai Fung for people.

[Host]

Okay. Dinh Tai Fung is a Taiwanese brand of food. Where you go there, there's locations in California and one in New York. I don't know anywhere else that has one. But you go and you sit down and you say, ooh, you know what? I do want an appetizer. Can I get the cucumber? Dis 8 bucks. $8 for a fucking cucumber dish.

[Researcher/Guest]

Tiny, but it's so good, though. Stephanie's favorite.

[Host]

Oh, yeah, I didn't. I fuck it up. Okay, so then the waiter comes out,

[Researcher/Guest]

pulls up a mopan video.

[Co-host]

Stop, stop. Don't remind me. Okay, Stop it right now.

[Researcher/Guest]

I think everybody actually knows exactly what restaurant we're talking about.

[Co-host]

I still cannot walk into a single

[Host]

Din Tai Fung without someone going, I've seen your videos eating Din Tai fung.

[Co-host]

And I go, okay.

[Host]

Then the waiter pulls up with this

[Co-host]

tiny little, you know, those, like, peach

[Host]

tree dishes that scientists use. Like that size of a dish, and it's precisely one mini Persian cucumber cut into different little slithers and then dipped in chili oil.

[Researcher/Guest]

Delicious.

[Host]

$8. And I order it every single time.

[Co-host]

It's so good. Okay?

[Host]

It's Din Tai Fung prices. So I'm expecting that cucumber was farmed in the back of Din Tai Fung's owner's founder's house. Like, I'm expecting this cucumber to be out of this world. That's a.

[Researcher/Guest]

Didn't they say Din Tai Fung is like the highest grossing dollar value restaurant in America? Like, one of the locations, like, the most brings in the most revenue.

[Host]

They make so much money, they have

[Co-host]

pretty much robbed me and my family.

[Host]

My sister, every time she's in New York, the amount of Din Tai Fung she consumes.

[Co-host]

She goes on Xiaolongbao tours in New. Okay, that's another story for another time. But it's bad. It's bad.

[Host]

Xi BEI is like the Din Tai Fung in China. It's not the same, but it's kind of the same. I think it's like Din Tai Fung, Xi bei, Haidi Lao. They're all in that same sphere of they're in every single city. Everybody knows them. And everyone knows that when you go, you're not getting an affordable meal, but hopefully you're getting a good meal. But Xibei, even compared to Heidi Lau, is super expensive. Heidi Lau in the US I think is really expensive, but I think Heidi Lau in China is less expensive. Because when you get a kid's meal at Heidi Lau, I don't know why the kids aren't eating the hot pot. But if you get like a kid's meal at a hamburger, I don't know

[Co-host]

why they're getting hamburgers. You know what? I have so many Questions, actually. Okay, but there's a Chinese hamburger that you can order at Haidilao, which is

[Researcher/Guest]

hot pot in China.

[Co-host]

Yeah, it's a hot pot.

[Host]

So you would think it's something else. Like you would expect some sort of dry pot for the kids or something. But no, they get a hamburger on the kids menu, and it's $1.28. If you use a coupon without the coupon, it's $4.25. But everybody uses coupons in China. Oh, yeah. My researchers were telling me, you don't know what the fuck the coupon game is in China. They're like, oh, my God, you're so dumb. So they're like, okay, let's say you come to China. The delivery. Food delivery game.

[Researcher/Guest]

Remember the coupon? Now, when I was young.

[Co-host]

What do you mean? Why are you.

[Researcher/Guest]

When you get a coupon, you actually save the coupon because that's your, like, future meal. Like, it gives you today. You can enjoy this in the next two months. So you keep that coupon until you can afford the burger. So you go there and then the coupon, the money. Oh, I remember this now.

[Host]

Wait, that's.

[Researcher/Guest]

They don't do that here.

[Host]

They do, but the coupons in America are kind of ass. It's like when you spend $50, you get 30 cents off. And I'm like, then I might as well not spend the $50 to get 30 cents off. But my researchers were telling me it's not even just the coupons. Coupons and delivery systems are cr. So they were saying in China right now, it's been a problem. All the food delivery apps, you know how Uber Eats, Grubhub, DoorDash, they're all a luxury in the U.S. like, I want to use it for every meal. It's like, oh, okay. Like, now you're paying for the delivery and tip. As you should. As you should. You guys tip the drivers. However, in China, I guess the major companies are in such a battle of who's going to take over the delivery space, that the deliveries are so quick and they're cheaper than if you were to go to the restaurant yourself. So people will actually do the thing where they get on the delivery app, redeem the coupons inside the restaurant, and then pick it up and take it to go.

[Researcher/Guest]

Oh, they'll give you discounts.

[Host]

Yeah. Online on the delivery app, and then see it in person. And it's cheaper on the delivery app.

[Co-host]

Wow.

[Host]

Yeah. So they self deliver. They self deliver. It's been crazy. Okay, now, Heidi Lau Kids Menu425, $1.28. She Bae. Much more expensive. Much more expensive. You're talking about like at least $6 and then easily goes up.

[Researcher/Guest]

And also, just so people know, $6 doesn't sound like a lot, but in China times 7, that's 42. Just imagine spending $42 on a kid's meal, like literally. Because that's kind of how much people make and you know, on a child. Exactly.

[Host]

I just have a question for parents out there. If you have a child and let's say you got a piece of delicious lobster and the best part is the top part of the lobster, do you give it to your 2 year old who doesn't appreciate the taste of lobster or do you consume it because that kid doesn't appreciate the taste of lobster yet? Well, maybe when they're 10, they'll appreciate it.

[Researcher/Guest]

Like expose yourself.

[Co-host]

Yeah, because I'm so curious about it

[Host]

because I see my sister and she's like saving all the good parts. And I'm like, hey, so I met your kids.

[Co-host]

They're gremlins and they'll eat like sticky rice off the floor. I think you should also enjoy some food once in a while.

[Host]

She's like saving all the pretty parts.

[Co-host]

So I'm like, this is crazy. I've seen the way your kids eat.

[Host]

No, anyway, their food ranges around like $6 for a kid's meal. And the best comparison that I can give you is this is, I mean there's no comparison. It's just a solid restaurant, mid range to high end and everybody comes and it's a good time. It's the family restaurant brand. And not to mention, when you go into Sheba, they give you an hourglass and they guarantee that all the dishes are going to be served before the hourglass at hand. I don't know how much time is in that hourglass but if it doesn't come in that time, you get your meal for half off.

[Researcher/Guest]

Damn.

[Host]

But September 10, 2025, there's this influencer by the name of Lo. Now Lo is a very interesting influencer because he looks like a middle aged physics teacher. I don't know how else to describe Low to you. He's got a dad build, he's got a physics teacher build and he wears glasses and his hair is like a little bit past the prime. All the, like every time you look in the mirror and you go, I should probably shower and wash my hair. That's how his hair is all the time. And I love.

[Researcher/Guest]

He talks just like a Physics teacher too?

[Host]

Yes.

[Researcher/Guest]

With. No. No. What is it?

[Host]

No. His cadence is just pure monotone, just like this.

[Researcher/Guest]

But he's top string influencer.

[Host]

Yeah, he is.

[Researcher/Guest]

He's the speed of China.

[Co-host]

He's ishowspeed of China.

[Host]

And this is how he looks and this is, this is how he talks. And honestly, I think it's kind of endearing. But he goes onto Twitter or like Weibo, which is Chinese Twitter, and he posts. It's been a long time since I last ate at Xi Bay. After getting off the plane today, I had a meal there with my colleagues and I realized almost everything was pre prepared and it was still so expensive. It's honestly disgusting. I really hope the government pushes legislation soon to require restaurants to clearly indicate whether they use pre prepared food. Okay, let me give you some context. There is also a war going on in China of pre prepar. This is a huge thing in China. So when you go into a restaurant, everyone is expecting you to get the wok flavor. They say that's why you go out to eat. You eat at home because you need it to be affordable and it's good. And sometimes you'll order food because it's cheap, but that you're expecting pre prepared food. Pre prepared meaning these restaurants are almost like ghost kitchens. They have a big distribution center. Yes.

[Researcher/Guest]

Okay, I don't know if I need to explain the food dishes that you eat in China to people. Because. Because when you go to eat at a restaurant like it, it's not sesame chicken. Right.

[Co-host]

Okay.

[Researcher/Guest]

It's a lot of dishes. It's a lot of different dishes. And you cook with fresh ingredients.

[Host]

Yes.

[Researcher/Guest]

So it's like there you throw veggies and oil and you stir fry it, you know, chicken, like whatever, you stir fry it Versus pre produced food is almost like fast food because everything is kind of in the package.

[Host]

Yeah.

[Researcher/Guest]

You dump it out of the package, you reheat it, basically.

[Host]

Okay, so I guess the best comparison would be if you go to a fast food chain and you get a burger and that burger patty has been frozen and then they just heat it up, throw it on the buns, put some sauce on it.

[Researcher/Guest]

Which is fine.

[Host]

Which is fine. It's fine. But you're also expecting to pay the price of fast food because you're like, oh, I know the price. I know what I'm getting. Like, I know I'm not getting like a fancy cooked meal. It's fine as long as everybody knows, right?

[Researcher/Guest]

Yeah.

[Host]

But then if you go to a nice restaurant and they say, hey, I want $20 for this burger. I'm expecting someone on the grill, pressing my burger patty down, smashing it with his bare fist, adding an heirloom tomato on top. Like, I'm expecting the highest quality burger that I've ever inserted into my mouth. That's what I'm expecting. And that is what's going on with Shiba, or at least you would assume until Lo the influencer comes around and he says pretty much everything in that restaurant has been pre prepared. If you were to order some sort of delicious broth, well, guess what, it's not delicious because he thinks it comes from the main kitchen, which is outsourced. And then they just heat it up at the store.

[Researcher/Guest]

They microwave it.

[Host]

They microwave that shit. And he's like, what's the difference of me just going to get ready to eat meals from the freezer section of the grocery store and then cooking it at home? It would be a lot cheaper. So he posts this all over Weibo and it starts going viral. And I just need to give you some context on low. And I think that Lowe's life and career history is one of the most fascinating things that I have ever witnessed. Because he is, at the end of the day, someone who fails at everything except being an influencer. I don't know how it worked out, but like, he has failed everything else prior to that. Like, he was actually considered one of the very first batch of influencers that made it to the spotlight.

[Researcher/Guest]

He is, he's old, by the way. He's like, oh, yeah, probably 50s.

[Host]

Yeah. And he's like the Wang Sutong of the influencers, but just like very different. So he's clearly not as rich as Wang Su Tung, although he is quite a very wealthy man. Okay, not nearly as rich, a little bit older, definitely more nerdy. And he's got time. This man has time. So when Wang Zetong goes after other celebrities, he'll do a tweet and then he'll forget about it because he gets very busy buying his dog, I don't know, diamond crusted watches. And then he'll remember it and then he'll come back to it and do another tweet. But this man, this man takes time. If he doesn't like someone, he holds a press conference.

[Co-host]

I'm not even fucking kidding you.

[Host]

He's done this every single time. He didn't like someone. Someone. He holds a press conference and people eat it up.

[Co-host]

Yes.

[Host]

And people show up. It's not even him sitting there live streaming and eating dinner and being like, you know what? I will address the rumors. It's not like that. It's a press. There's a podium, there's people sitting in a line. It's a press briefing.

[Co-host]

Like, we need to do stuff like that more often. We need to do that here. I don't want these like drama breakdowns anymore. I want everyone to have press conferences.

[Host]

I want it to be live.

[Co-host]

I want a bunch of drama channels sitting as in the press pool, and then they're raising their hands, asking questions. That's what I want. Could you tell me, could you tell me, are you Alex Ix or Ex? Like, I need that. I need that in a press conference format. I don't want interviews.

[Host]

I want a press conference. So that's what he does. And this man actually started off as an English teacher.

[Co-host]

So the fact that he can understand this entire video is sending me into a different dimension. I'm sorry, I didn't mean that you were nerdy.

[Researcher/Guest]

He does look like a teacher. No wonder he carries himself like a teacher.

[Host]

And he blew up on the Internet because people said that he was very comedic in his teaching.

[Researcher/Guest]

Really?

[Co-host]

Yeah.

[Host]

And then that's when it clicked for me that you and I grew up so differently.

[Researcher/Guest]

Oh, because that's like my English teacher?

[Host]

No, because like I watched his. The clips that went viral of him where he's like making jokes and I'm

[Co-host]

like, this is the most boring, boring class I've ever been in.

[Host]

I'm like, oh, I guess most classes are very serious in China. So he's a very laid back style where he likes to tell stories as he teaches, which I feel like is a very common thing in the U.S. but yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. He's like, you know when you watch those TikTok videos of the stand up comedians who post their own stand up sets because nobody else will post them.

[Co-host]

It's, it's good.

[Host]

It's good enough that you'll watch it until the end, but you're not like

[Researcher/Guest]

cackling, you're not hiding it and you're

[Host]

not like sending it to your friends.

[Co-host]

You're just like, okay, all right.

[Host]

And then you swipe and then it's a dog.

[Co-host]

And then you're like, ah. And then you swipe and it's hockey. And then you're like, computer.

[Host]

You know, like, it's like, it's just

[Co-host]

one of those things. And that's him.

[Host]

So the lectures go viral because everyone's like, this guy is so funny. I don't hear a single laugh in the audience.

[Co-host]

But like, this guy is so funny. So then he starts. He starts teaching English online, and then he gets listed as one of the top 10 influencers in China in 2005.

[Researcher/Guest]

As a teacher, though?

[Host]

Yeah.

[Researcher/Guest]

Wow.

[Host]

So he's like, I'm gonna leave teaching and really spread my wings. So he creates his own business called Bullog Blog.

[Co-host]

Yeah, it's spelled B U L L O G Blog Balog.

[Host]

He wanted it to be Reddit.

[Co-host]

Susa Blog.

[Host]

Okay. And after a few years, it went bankrupt. And then the website shut down. Then he started an English tuition center called Low and his friends English Academy, and that also failed. And then in 2012, he decided that he was gonna make smartphones.

[Co-host]

I don't know what's happening with the.

[Host]

So then he created a brand called smartisan. Smart Artisan. He said, this is going to beat Apple. You don't even know. He went bankrupt. And he was eight figures in debt USD. He was like 10, 20 million dollars in debt. And then he had an air purifier.

[Co-host]

Okay.

[Host]

I had multiple people fact check this because when a researcher was telling me about it and I was like, are you just making shit up right now?

[Co-host]

Because that would make me upset.

[Host]

And she was like, no, I swear. And I lowkey didn't believe her. I'm so sorry. So then I asked somebody else and I was like, can you just fact check that for me? Because it doesn't make sense. And they're like, no, it's real. So he started a humidifier company called Jose Tronco.

[Co-host]

I don't know what the fuck.

[Researcher/Guest]

Jose Tronco?

[Co-host]

Yeah.

[Host]

And he also had a sound system company that he called David and Shelley.

[Researcher/Guest]

Okay.

[Co-host]

Yeah. I don't know.

[Researcher/Guest]

He just makes, like, different electronics.

[Host]

Yeah, but why would he name it David and Shelley?

[Co-host]

Who are David and Shelley to him?

[Host]

Who's Jose?

[Researcher/Guest]

I think sometimes

[Co-host]

what?

[Researcher/Guest]

Sometimes what they would do.

[Host]

Yeah.

[Researcher/Guest]

You make it sound foreign.

[Co-host]

People want to pay for it.

[Researcher/Guest]

People think it's like a foreign brand. I'm serious.

[Co-host]

Yes. Maybe that's what he was doing.

[Researcher/Guest]

You want to make it sound exotic.

[Co-host]

Yeah. So David and Shelley was the sound system.

[Host]

He also made an electronic cigarette brand called Vivild Wild VV I L D.

[Co-host]

I don't know, a suitcase company.

[Host]

All of these failed. It was at this point where he

[Co-host]

was named the industry death lamp because everything he touches just dies.

[Host]

But then in 2020, he decides, Let me just try live streaming really quick.

[Co-host]

He paid off all his debt through, and then he started a live streaming company where it's called Be Friends Holding Limited. I don't know what his obsession with English is.

[Host]

And then successfully listed it in China. I think he went public. Yeah.

[Co-host]

Yeah.

[Host]

There was one livestream where I think he had $14 million in sales of products in one livestream. I think there was another one where he broke $25 million sold in a live stream.

[Researcher/Guest]

Wow.

[Host]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Researcher/Guest]

That's fucking.

[Host]

I think it's because he doesn't oversell things. He's just like a dad selling shit. And you're like, you know what, Mr. Low? I think I will buy that. Because he's just like, it's just okay, you know, so if you want it, it's okay. I mean, the price is okay. So what you're gonna get is okay. So okay.

[Co-host]

You're like, okay. I mean, I guess that makes sense. I guess I'll buy that.

[Host]

And so. But one thing I will say that has never changed is his constant popularity. People like him. People like that he's a knockoff Wang Zitong. People like that. He's very honest and that he just. I will say he is dependable. I feel like if I had a problem, I could go to him. I think that he would be quite judgmental about my problem, but I think he would help me fix it. That's the vibe he gives. This podcast is supported by Ring. With Ring, it's protected. Keep track of packages and see more at the front door with battery doorbell. Make sure your yard is safe at night with their outdoor cam. Plus that delivers a wide field of view. And upgrade to 4K cameras and doorbells featuring retinal vision that gives you ultra clear footage. Plus, who doesn't love those funny front step video situations? Nieces that are under five years old. And we had these snack bar things for our delivery drivers and I explained to them, oh, these are for the delivery drivers. These are not for you. Sophie runs past it. Meanwhile, Mia runs in, doesn't make eye contact. Once with the snack bar, she's looking straight at the front door, her arm juts out, swipes a bag of chips, and she runs in the door as if nothing happened. We check the footage and we see Grand Theft Mia. And thanks to Ring, we caught it all on camera. So now we can have it as a memory for years. And if that had been a real burglar, we also would have gotten it on video for the authorities. So it's a win win. Your door, your yard, your home. With Ring, it's protected. Shop, cameras, doorbells and more. Right [e-mail] when opportunity strikes, you have to seize it. Amazon Prime's same day delivery helps you say yes before the moment slips away and turn maybe next time into yes. Right now. Got asked out on a last minute date but have nothing to wear? Don't take a rain check. Say yes. Prime can get you the perfect fit just in time to make that dinner reservation. Did your best friend suggest a spur of the moment road trip? Make it happen. Clean underwear and a travel pillow delivered before you even pack the car. Are the kids begging for an impromptu astronaut themed slumber party tonight? Say yes and make it epic. Prime gets you everything from glow in the dark stars to a projector to popcorn fast and the memories made in that spaceship fort made out of blankets. Absolutely priceless. Say yes to the moments that don't wait. Visit Amazon.comprime to find millions of items delivered fast. Same day delivery. It's on Prime. Available in select areas. Terms apply. Finding recipes, going to the grocery store, prepping all the ingredients to cook, cooking the meal and then finally you sit down and eat the food and the food doesn't hit. If that sounds all too similar, it is time to simplify your routine with HelloFresh. HelloFresh is America's number one meal kit that gets gets sent straight to your home with delicious meals from a vast chef curated menu. My husband and I love hosting our families and friends especially for birthdays and holidays. I just feel like home cooked meals made with love are always the best. The process though, not so much. HelloFresh makes it easier to find delicious recipes with farm fresh ingredients ready to go and we'll have a home cooked dinner on the table in no time. Nothing hits like home cooking. Go to hellofresh.commots10fm now to get 10 free meals plus a free NutriBullet Ultra plus two in one compact kitchen system. A 189.99 value on your third box. Free meals applied as a discount on the first box. New subscribers only. Varies by plan. Must order the third box by May 31, 2026. Let me give you an idea. There is the Siemens Simons the refrigerator.

[Co-host]

Why do you look at me like I was crazy when I said semen?

[Host]

Okay, Ximenzi. And he was like no, it's a Chinese brand. I was like I've never heard of this brand. And he's like it's a Chinese brand. And I was like really? It doesn't sound Chinese.

[Co-host]

I googled it. It's like a German brand. And he goes oh no. But we all have it in China. And I said, okay. So then the Siemens refrigerator and washing

[Host]

machine, they sell a bunch of household appliances. And he goes online and he's like, hey, listen up, Siemens. I got your refrigerator, I got your fucking washing machine. And both of them have broken down one after another. I would never buy this unlucky brand ever again. Let me tell you something, he says, nine times out of 10, I close my refrigerator door. Then I walk away, and then I come back, it's popped open by itself. Am I living with a fucking ghost? Why is my refrigerator door not closing properly? He's getting pissed off. He posts this tags. Siemens. It gets reposted. It receives over a thousand comments with people saying, I have the same problem. My refrigerator door came, keeps popping open. So then he's like, you know what? I've decided to hold a press conference

[Co-host]

so that he has a press conference.

[Host]

He's an influencer. Yeah, he's having a press conference where he's taken down Siemens. He's like, let me read you of all the anecdotal stories that everybody has. And then he's saying things like, you know, your. Your company sells IQ 100 series refrigerators. Why the are you naming it that when he can't even keep its door closed?

[Co-host]

Like, he's aggressive.

[Host]

This man is aggressive, passive, monotone. Everything is monotone. He's not even passionate, but he's dissing.

[Researcher/Guest]

Like, he's.

[Host]

Yeah, he's like, why would you call it IQ 100 series refrigerators? I really don't have the time or energy to deal with everyone on the whole Internet. But for the people leaving comments under this post, we gotta resolve their issues as soon as possible. Otherwise, bear the consequences yourself. Siemens. Are you seriously fucking calling this IQ 100? That's the vibe he gives me.

[Co-host]

And it's just like, I feel like I did something wrong. Okay?

[Host]

Underneath that post, everyone is just like, voicing their problems. And Siemens doesn't respond for months. He's going at it, press conference after press conference after press conference. He's talking to major news publications.

[Co-host]

He's going out there interviewing himself and other people.

[Host]

Like, he's doing all of it. Even then, Siemens is not reporting anything. He's going into electronic stores. He's talking to Siemens employees. And all of them are kind of bratty. I don't know why that pisses him off some more.

[Co-host]

He gets extra pissed off at that. Like, why are you treating me like I'm dumb?

[Host]

So then what he. What does he decide to do? He has another Press conference, but this time outside of the Siemens headquarters in Beijing. And this is actually like quite poetic, but they had lined up three Siemens refrigerators. And he's got a mallet and he just starts beating it to a pulp. And then this is when all the

[Co-host]

news stations are like, we gotta go, we gotta go.

[Researcher/Guest]

So then they show up and they Ramo a fire.

[Host]

The Ramo drama is crazy right now. There's this guy who got a Ramo a suitcase and they're like freaking expensive. Okay. Like the big metal one, I think it's like, I don't know, like $2,000.

[Co-host]

And it was open on the baggage claim. Open.

[Host]

And he said, this is the third time it's happened. He's like lighting the Ramo suitcases on fire. All these different brands are getting involved. Yeah, I think even like a condom brand got involved. Wrap it up, pack it up. I don't know. Right? So lots of people are getting involved, except for momoa. What are they doing? But they even hold up a sign, like a protest. So they beat up the refrigerators and then they all sit and take like a class photo outside the Siemens headquarters. And it's actually like, really sweet.

[Co-host]

Okay.

[Host]

The sign says, kindly request that Seamans admit their issues and solve the refrigerator door issue.

[Co-host]

Everyone's just like smiling. So the sheer drama, the sheer bizarreness creates such a buzz online that a

[Host]

few days after smashing the three refrigerators, he holds another press conference.

[Co-host]

And it feels so official.

[Host]

There's like presentations, there's slideshows, there's a mic that he's fidgeting with and it's not working right. He's got a clicker and everything. Okay. So he's like, let me show you. From the image above, you can see that this one refrigerator has a white component on the door, while this one does not. That small component is what helps the door close properly. And he explains that these two brand new refrigerators he had just purchased and even offered to show the media the receipts. Clearly the quality control was off and something had gone wrong because that white part is gone. So the whole point of a refrigerator is to keep the doors sealed and maintain a stable temperature. If the fridge can't even keep its door shut well enough to stay cold, then what's the point of a refrigerator? But for months, Siemens did not want to acknowledge this, did not provide us consumers with any sort of solution, and did not offer a formal apology. And everyone's like trying to put sunglasses

[Co-host]

on him, you know, in the press conference, like, people are fucking loving this shit.

[Host]

And so he goes around and he's doing more press conferences until finally the president and the CEO of Siemens China had to issue a formal apology. They had to set up a special hotline and a dedicated Weibo account to assist anyone experiencing issues. They also offered free on site inspections for those who needed it. And they could install a door closer at no cost. But it wasn't just Siemens, okay? This guy goes against everybody. Another notable fight was he got into a fight with the CEO of Zealer. Zealer is like a huge tech and lifestyle content platform that was like founded by this guy named Wang. This is back when he had his smart as in phone. So the Wang guy doesn't like the smartest. And phone reviewed it and was like, hey, so it's ass. So then he was like, you know what? I'm going to fight your city and we're going to have a press conference debate. So they sit down and do a full debate. They said that this is the closest thing that China has had to a presidential debate. That's what a lot of people are saying. Okay, yeah, they were saying it was fucking cut throat. Other media outlets like Forbes were even saying this was the closest thing that China had to a presidential debate. That's not me saying that, okay? That was them. And low does not come like, this man does not come to a fist fight with his fist. He doesn't even come to a fist fight with a knife. He comes to a fist fight with a fucking F13 fighter jet and a tanker and drone bombs, okay? This guy is so insane. He did not bring a PowerPoint because I think the logistics of setting up a PowerPoint, maybe the other guy, Wang, didn't want it. So he had printed out giant flashcards that were twice the size of his body and he was flipping through them one by one. Just going completely overboard confronting this guy in person.

[Researcher/Guest]

So he won.

[Host]

Yeah, so, I mean, his phone sucked ass, so the review was valid. Okay, but he won the debate.

[Co-host]

He won the debate because he was crazy.

[Host]

He'll have headers on his PowerPoint incorrect facts, then he'll put it down and list all the incorrect facts.

[Researcher/Guest]

So he's a debater. He can. That's why he's good, right?

[Host]

Oh, yeah.

[Co-host]

Oh yeah.

[Host]

He had another one that just said slander. And then he went on to say that Wong is a slander. And then he said Wong's company has been receiving funding from big tech companies recently, so there's incentive for him to want to shut down a new company. That's creating similar things that would be competing in the market against those other companies. He also said, don't talk about being an independent bitch when you're just a fucking whore. I'm not even kidding. He didn't say it like that. He didn't say it like that, but he basically said it. We read in between the PowerPoint slides, we read the lines. He told him, don't talk about being an independent, thought provoking person when you've got a sugar mama. So then it turns out people were like, he's just saying stuff. At this point, he's just calling him a little skank with no evidence. Turns out there are rumors that he was dating one of the CEOs of one of the biggest tech companies and she was funding his lifestyle.

[Researcher/Guest]

So there was like a secret scandal that was uncovered from this.

[Host]

Yeah, Dong Minju.

[Researcher/Guest]

Dong Min Joo.

[Host]

Yeah.

[Co-host]

Okay, sorry.

[Host]

Who is she?

[Researcher/Guest]

I don't know.

[Host]

Compare her to someone like a mark, like a. Like a gf.

[Researcher/Guest]

I don't know, like Oprah Winfrey. I don't know. I just know she's old and rich.

[Co-host]

Oh, okay.

[Host]

Okay, okay.

[Co-host]

Yeah, that's valid.

[Researcher/Guest]

I mean, that's all I know. When you hear that name, that's all I know.

[Host]

Okay. Founder of Earth, CEO of Gree Electronics. Have you heard of Gree Electronics?

[Researcher/Guest]

No.

[Host]

Okay, probably maybe some kind of like an old rich lady.

[Researcher/Guest]

Super rich.

[Host]

Yeah.

[Researcher/Guest]

Okay.

[Host]

Now, of course, both parties have denied such rumors, but. But he just. He just got his ass wrecked. He just wiped the floor with him and then left with his shitty smartphone. That's what Lo did. And Low would even publicly say, like, as someone who holds grudges, that's what he says. He's like, look, I am someone who holds grudges. I never let any sort of thing go unpunished. If I feel like I've been slighted, I also have. I have a super highly aggressive personality. I've never lost an argument online. I've been through years of trials and tribulations. I just want everyone to know that my mind is so open minded and broad that all of the enemies that I've made throughout my life could all fit in my mind and I would still find it so spacious.

[Co-host]

He said there would still be so much room left.

[Researcher/Guest]

Oh man, that's so good.

[Co-host]

But out of every single person that

[Host]

he's battled, he said there's one fight that he's lost.

[Co-host]

Starbucks barista.

[Researcher/Guest]

Bro. Bro.

[Host]

There's a video of him slapping himself in Starbucks because he's getting Very confused by the sizes of, like, the tall.

[Researcher/Guest]

Let me tell people.

[Co-host]

Yeah.

[Researcher/Guest]

So there's this video. I don't really know what that video, like, started from, but he walk into Starbucks. He's like, I would like. You know why? Because I relate to him.

[Host]

Why do you relate to him?

[Researcher/Guest]

Because I still don't know the size difference.

[Host]

We don't drink Starbucks anymore.

[Co-host]

But I know what you mean.

[Host]

Yes.

[Co-host]

Okay, continue.

[Researcher/Guest]

So you go into Starbucks and he said, I would like to medium sized cup. And the barista is smiling. She never stops smiling. She said, we have three cups. This is. What's the size? Grande tall.

[Host]

Grande venti.

[Researcher/Guest]

Tall Grante Venti, but in Chinese. Basically, it's like, it starts with medium, large and extra large. He said, out of these three, I want the medium one.

[Host]

The middle one, yeah.

[Researcher/Guest]

She's like, this one is large, this one is medium. He's like, but out of these three, I want the medium one. She's like, this one is a large, the other one is the medium. So this. Go back and forth a few more times, and he's just start to slide.

[Host]

And now people just use the meme of him slapping himself when they're just befuddled by any sort of conversation or behooved or anything is blasphemous. You're using that slapping meme, which, by the way, Starbucks also, everyone needs to chill out. But Starbucks, aside from the news that they've already been in, the CEO recently said, the reason that you're getting a $9 drink from us is for the experience.

[Co-host]

And everyone said, what the fuck?

[Researcher/Guest]

Will you pay $9 for experience?

[Host]

Yes. And everyone's like, are we talking about

[Co-host]

the same fucking experience that every American has probably experienced in their lives one too many times and it was not a spectacular experience? That's crazy.

[Host]

Have you seen the library cafes that have been popping up in a lot of cities? I think there's one in Atlanta, too. Now, I know there's a lot in New York, but they have a whole bookshelf of books. And you can read them for as long as you're inside the cafe. And you can probably get like a $5 drink and stay there for three hours. So talk to me later about experience. Anyway, anyway, Lo posts this whole paragraph about Shibei, how he and his colleagues went there. Everything tasted like prepackaged food. Now, am I a PR person? No, but I think everyone with half a mind would tell Shibei, don't address this like it's not a big deal. Unless, I mean, do you feel like, this is such a big deal that you want to come out and refute

[Co-host]

this, like, what's going on.

[Host]

Right. Shibei could have just done nothing and nobody would have thought about it twice because it's.

[Researcher/Guest]

So his complaint is like, I went into this very high end restaurant like that. I haven't been back.

[Host]

Yes.

[Researcher/Guest]

For so long. Turns out everything in there, you pay premium price for fast food.

[Host]

But the reason that people didn't think that Shiba should have responded is he didn't even phrase it like that. He was just saying everything tastes like prepackaged food. So it's like, I mean, that's just a subjective opinion. It's not an. It's not a crazy accusation of like, I went into the kitchen or I saw someone doing something crazy in the back kitchen. It was just like, it tasted like shit.

[Researcher/Guest]

Yeah.

[Host]

And it was expensive and it tastes like ass. So it's like, okay, his followers are going to see that and probably won't go. But I don't think Xi Bet needs to respond is how a lot of Chinese netizens were feeling.

[Co-host]

But then.

[Host]

But then you have to realize that the CEO of Xi Bay, his name is Jia Gualong.

[Researcher/Guest]

Jia Guo Long.

[Host]

Jia Gualong. Okay. We're going to call him Jia. And he has a personality that I would say is nearly identical to low.

[Co-host]

Like they are two peas in a pod. Two boobs in a bra. Like they are the same person. I. The same.

[Host]

That's it.

[Co-host]

Okay.

[Host]

So they're both headstrong debaters. They don't know when to stop. They just grab a knife and they start stabbing. And then it's too late when they look down and they stab their own leg 10 times. Like, you're like, why did you do all of that? This clash was going to become inevitable. The entire drama takes up the whole month of September 2025. Influencers are getting pissed off because they're like, did you not just see? I. I broke up with my boyfriend. Hello.

[Co-host]

Hello.

[Host]

But no, everyone's like, let me see.

[Co-host]

These two middle aged men sparring out online over food.

[Host]

So Xi Bei's boss responds. On that same day Lo made the post, a media reporter had called one of Shibei's press outlets to inquire about the issue. And the worker notified them that at their location, all the beef is made in the morning. That day, their noodles are hand, hand pulled. All their vegetables are delivered fresh to the store, made to order. And then Ji Ah comes out and he tells the interviewers, after I saw Lowe's Weibo post. I immediately booked a flight to Beijing. You know, my family had all gone to sleep. I was so angry, I couldn't fall asleep. It was like three in the morning. I was downstairs by myself. I had grilled skewers. I ordered a bottle of alcohol. I was smoking a cigarette, and I was really thinking about it.

[Co-host]

We don't fucking need all that. This is. Imagine the CEO of Cheesecake Factory giving us his life story like this.

[Host]

I would be like, whoa.

[Researcher/Guest]

I pour myself a glass of whiskey.

[Host]

I got super high.

[Co-host]

And that's why we have 50 cheesecake flavors. Like, what's happening right now?

[Host]

Then they go to the same Shibei location where Lo had eaten. And he starts making several statements to the press and even customers who are now recording. And he said, you know, September to 10th, I have this all written down low. Four friends walk in, order a total of 15 dishes.

[Researcher/Guest]

So he's talking to the reporter right now. It's not a press conference, right?

[Host]

No, it's not a press conference.

[Researcher/Guest]

He's just chatting with a reporter with the iPhone. Recording, right?

[Host]

Yeah. And he's giving me the energy of your father. You know what I mean? And I mean that with love. But, like, your dad is not the most press ready man. He. He will look into a camera and say, what the fuck? You know, and that's Ji Ah.

[Co-host]

And I love that for him.

[Host]

Okay? So he's just looking into the cameras, and he's like, listen, let me tell you what happened. Lo and four friends, five of them, they walk into the store, and this is around 2:30pm he's setting the scene. They order 15 dishes. They finish their meal in about an hour. I mean, they're ravenous. They're eating the food. And then they left only two dishes unfinished. And then after paying, you know, the staff even asked them, how was your meal? And they said, not bad, not bad.

[Co-host]

Which is pretty good, right?

[Host]

So then the servers ask if they want to collect their reward points, and they're like, yeah, let me give you my reward account. They get the reward points, then they leave. Now, about the two unfinished dishes, let me tell you what those two dishes were, right? So it was the scallion and ginger grilled fish and the tender grilled lamb chops. They didn't finish the scallion and ginger grilled fish and the tender grilled lamb chops. Why? Because those two dishes always take longer to serve, so they're usually the last ones at the table. So they were served last. Last. And like I said, when our Employees asked, how was the meal? They said, not bad, not bad. They took their reward points and after an hour, they left.

[Co-host]

And then they say, everything from Sheba is pre prepared.

[Host]

It's so disgusting. None of our food is pre prepared. Every dish has its standard cooking process. How the ingredients come. Some are from the central kitchen, you know, some are sent to the store when they're frozen and defrosted and further prepared. Some go into the oven, some go into the seasonings, other go through the. The cooking process. Every dish has its own standards. So starting tomorrow, here's what I'm gonna do. And this is when you should.

[Researcher/Guest]

He got too excited.

[Co-host]

Yeah.

[Host]

He saw all the cameras pointed at him and he said, baby, this is why I think you need to run by every single idea to at least three different people. That's. I genuinely think that that's the only marriages that I've seen work is you have someone, one person is very impulsive and the other person is like, no, absolutely not. You're not doing that. That's it.

[Advertiser]

Those.

[Host]

When you have two impulsive people, it's not gonna work. They're gonna light the world on fire. You've got two people who are like, absolutely not. You're not doing that. They're kind of boring. And I don't think he's getting that from anyone because he's got a big head. So he says starting tomorrow, starting tomorrow, we will open all 370 locations nationwide. And I am going to give you full transparency and access to our kitchens. Everyone you on the Internet who has never washed your hand, who wears shoes that have dog shit caked on the bottom, come into our kitchens and see it for yourself.

[Co-host]

I don't know how that's sanitarily allowed, like the health department rolling over in their graves.

[Host]

But he is like, every single person is welcome. That is how we will clear up the issue that we are not having pre prepared dishes. What are you guys talking about? So look it up yourself. Come everyone, come one, come all, come. We're all coming together. It's heated rivalry, heated kitchenry, heated cook heat. When opportunity strikes, you have to seize it. Amazon Prime's same day delivery helps you say yes before the moment slips away and turn maybe next time into yes. Right now. Got asked out on a last minute date but have nothing to wear. Don't take a rain check. Say yes. Prime can get you the perfect fit. Just in time to make that dinner reservation. Did your best friend suggest a spur of the moment road trip? Make it happen. Clean underwear and a Travel pillow delivered before you even pack the car. Are the kids begging for an impromptu astronaut themed slumber party tonight? Say yes and make it epic. Prime gets you everything from glow in the dark stars to a projector to popcorn fast. And the memories made in that spaceship fort made out of blankets. Absolutely priceless. Say yes to the moments that don't wait. Visit Amazon.comprime to find millions of items delivered fast. Same day delivery. It's on Prime. Available in select areas. Terms apply.

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[Host]

You know what's not heated?

[Co-host]

None of their food. Okay.

[Host]

So then people start, they take that seriously because this blows up on the

[Researcher/Guest]

Internet the next day. Every TikTok is like yes.

[Host]

Every influencer, every tiktoker, every live streamer, everyone who doesn't even have a TikTok account makes a TikTok account and they're running to she pay. They're like this is the best shit that we've ever seen. Now none of these chefs that are working in any of these locations are responsible for their boss's actions. And none of them, I will tell you, not a single one of them was prepared. I don't even think there was a company wide email that was sent out. I think a lot of these people got off their shift, laid in bed

[Co-host]

to brain rot and then saw their boss saying that and said what the the fuck are we doing tomorrow? That's what I think happened. They're on douyin scrolling.

[Host]

So then people start coming into the kitchens, reporters are coming in, camera crews are coming in and there are just multiple, multiple videos that go viral within moments of Shibe opening their locations across the nation. Because you've got a lot of confused

[Co-host]

chefs and they mean well, like they're

[Host]

so likable but they're fucking confused.

[Co-host]

They don't know why you're here. They think they're famous, so they just start answering questions they don't know the answers to. What? Let me explain.

[Host]

Okay, so one of the first viral moments that comes out is, I know you guys are crazy about your bra. The way that his mom brings over a chicken broth. And she's like, I've been stewing this

[Co-host]

for the past 48 business days. You drink every last drop. And I go, yes, ma'. Am. Like, it's. You guys brew this broth for ages. She's like, this is broth from our ancestors. I'm like, yes, ma'. Am. I'm drinking it.

[Host]

And then the chicken. She's like, you don't even need to eat the chicken and the chicken broth. And I say, but why?

[Co-host]

It's chicken in the chicken broth. And she goes, the broth has all the nutrients. There are mushrooms I've never seen inside this chicken soup.

[Host]

It's so good. It's so delicious. So then one of the chefs is like, yes, come in, come in. He looks very confused. He also looks like he just got the job.

[Co-host]

And everyone's pointing the iPhones at him.

[Host]

And he looks starstruck.

[Co-host]

He doesn't know which camera to look at. So he's kind of doing the thing when you take family pictures and you're, like, alternating between cameras and talking.

[Host]

So he's looking at the camera and he's like, yeah. So I started the, like, the slow cooked chicken broth this morning, and they're like, oh, let me go look now. Slow cooked chicken broth almost has this, like, white color because you've been stewing it for so long. It's like all that gelatin, all that collagen, it's like that. That's the amazing part of it. So then they're looking at it, and someone's like, yeah, can you just, like, go through the soup and show us what's inside? Just fucking broth. So they're like, wait a minute. How do you just have broth? How did you make chicken broth without the chicken? Did you throw away the chicken? Where's the chicken? Right? He's like, no, I add the chicken later. So then they're like, wait, what do you mean you add the chicken later when it's a chicken broth? Because you had to cook the broth using the chicken. That's how you get the chicken broth. And he goes, no, no, no. Okay, so I get this plastic bag

[Co-host]

and it has chicken broth in there. I cut it with Scissors.

[Host]

And then I put it in there and then I slow cook it. How long does it take you to slow cook that? Six minutes.

[Co-host]

So everyone goes, how can you say you slow cooked it when it's only been on the stove for six minutes? And then there are so many times where these poor chefs get asked questions by these TikTok influencers, and they all just look blank.

[Host]

And they all look like, what the fuck?

[Co-host]

That's a good point. So then he's just like. They're like, so then where's the chicken? And he's like, oh, yeah, let me go get that. So then he brings out another plastic bag, and it says, frozen, fully cooked, pre prepared food on the bag. Pre prepare food on the bag. And expiration date in nine months. So then he's like, this is the chicken.

[Researcher/Guest]

I feel like this boss has never seen how his food is made. Someone like him, someone told him something and he took it to heart. Someone said, our food is fresh?

[Co-host]

No, he just watched the ads for the company.

[Researcher/Guest]

He's like, oh, yeah, that lamp right there. Yeah, organic.

[Co-host]

We brought the lamb alive to the kitchen, actually.

[Host]

So then he is like, the chef is like, no, no, it's not like prepackaged food. Because they're like, it literally says prepackaged food. And he goes, it's. We call it like a semi finished product. Semi finished. Which again, nothing's wrong with this.

[Co-host]

You just expect to pay cheaper prices.

[Host]

Like, you're not expecting to pay $30

[Co-host]

to get your broth out of a bag. Okay, that's crazy.

[Researcher/Guest]

I think also they're marketing. They keep saying, it's like, fresh, fresh, fresh, fresh.

[Host]

Oh, and then he points at a pile of frozen desserts, and someone's like, are these fresh? And he goes, no, no, it came here frozen. But like, they're cooked, you know, and we serve them when they're fresh. And he's like showing all the kitchen stuff, and he's like, so this is the grilled fish, but it's frozen right now. The skewers, we get them pre marinated. So are they frozen? Yeah.

[Co-host]

Okay.

[Host]

So he's just like doing a whole

[Co-host]

tour and it's progressively getting worse and worse and worse.

[Host]

And then they're like, well, how many dishes do you have on the menu? Oh, we. We serve around like 60 types. How many of them are frozen? Probably a lot of them. Most of them? Yeah, most of them. And then they go to the vegetables. They're like, show me your fresh produce. Because they're all talking about, oh, come bring Your kid here, we got the fresh veggies. And then he was like, so this is our broccoli, and it's frozen. Why don't you use fresh vegetables? Oh, because these are organic broccoli, so it's frozen, okay? So everyone's like, what the fuck is going on on the package? The broccoli expires in two years. So people are saying when you bring your kid to Shibei, they're eating broccoli

[Co-host]

that's older than them, okay? The broccoli has been on this planet longer than your fucking child has been on this planet. This planet. And your child is consuming the broccoli.

[Host]

And again, nothing is wrong with frozen broccoli, okay? There's actually debates that there might be more nutrition in frozen vegetables these days because they flash freeze them when they're prime. But it's just the fact that they market it and then they charge you a bajillion dollars. You're just expecting a normal human would go in there and expect it to be fresh broccoli, but it's not. And these poor employees, I mean, they're just getting hounded with questions. They're like, why is the shelf life on the broccoli 24 months? And he goes, I'm not the one that decides that.

[Co-host]

So then they're all just like, what is going on?

[Host]

At one point, they start going through the kitchen supplies, and they realize that this kitchen, this huge kitchen that serves 60 various different dishes, they have 10 knives. 10 knives and nine scissors, because all

[Co-host]

they do is cut open the plastic bags. That's all they be doing.

[Host]

There's another viral clip of one of the interviewers asking a chef if they have any overnight foods at Shiba. So overnight foods is like a big thing where let's say you have a dish from Tuesday night, lamb chops. You got leftover lamb chops. At the end of the night, they want especially nice restaurants that charge a lot. The employees should take home the lamb chops, because tomorrow they should not see those fucking lamb chops. It should be fresh lamb chops for all the customers. And he's like, do you guys do overnight foods? And he's like, no, absolutely not. So then they go over the lamb chops, which has a shelf life of two years. So you. One bag. How many times do you use this? Oh, three. Three meals. So we do three meals. Okay, so let's say you only get one order of lamb chops for dinner tonight. What do you do with the rest? Oh, so then we'll probably do it for lunch and dinner tomorrow. So then they're like, okay, so then it's overnight food. Yes. The chef pauses and you can see his brain moving and you can see him contemplating whether or not Heidi Lau

[Co-host]

has an opening for a job.

[Host]

Okay, see, he's just standing there and he's buffering and then all of a sudden he just starts aggressively nodding and says, overnight. Overnight.

[Co-host]

We do overnight. Okay. I mean, all the comments. The netizens love the chefs, by the way. They're like, the Shiba chefs are the most honest people I've ever met in my life.

[Host]

They say that to be honest.

[Co-host]

Aside from their boss who is a liar, every single one of their employees is so honest, like they can't even lie if their life depended on it.

[Host]

So with that, with Low doing nothing but really just tweeting once or twice about Shibei Shibe, the comments say Low landed a blow on Shibei, but it wasn't fatal. The subsequent 99 blows were self inflicted and every single one of them was. Was fucking deadly. Another person says at most Low gave him a light tap, but Xiebei couldn't save face and ended up stabbing themselves to death.

[Co-host]

Like, what the fuck is going on right now?

[Host]

Nobody knows. And people were saying, you know, you got to take the Heidi Lau incident for example. So recently in Heidi Lau, I think a few months before this, a haidilao in Shanghai got caught in a huge scandal.

[Researcher/Guest]

Is it the rat? Oh no, wait, what is it? Oh, I don't know.

[Host]

Oh my God. There was a rat.

[Researcher/Guest]

Maybe I'm wrong. I don't know. What is it?

[Host]

That felt slanderous.

[Researcher/Guest]

I don't know. What is it?

[Host]

Okay, so In Shanghai, Haidilao, two 17 year old boys. Motherfuckers. They should be charged as adults. They got up on the table after they finished their meal and pissed into the hot pot.

[Researcher/Guest]

Oh my God. Yes.

[Host]

They peed in the hot pot. They urinate into the hot pot on top of the table. I mean, this is nasty. These get reused. They wash the hot pot and then they reuse it.

[Researcher/Guest]

But that's not the restaurant's fault.

[Host]

It's not the restaurant. Restaurant's fault. But it could have gone really bad. Heidi Lau, they act quickly, they act super quick. They address all the issues. They don't try to cover it up. They immediately gut the store. People said it was like they're building a brand new store. They got rid of like everything. They got rid of everything to show

[Co-host]

how serious they were about their hygiene.

[Host]

And then on top of that, if you dined at a Heidi Lau on that day, you're getting 10 times what you paid for food. So if you spent a hundred dollars, you're getting a thousand dollars back.

[Researcher/Guest]

Damn.

[Host]

From Heidi Lau, everyone, all the netizens from what went from oh my gosh, I never want to eat out of Heidi Lau ever again to why the fuck didn't I eat at Heidi Lau on piss day? I'm so pissed off at myself. Someone said I'm poor. If someone peed in that pot and I used it right after, but got 10 times the compensation, I would need even mind eating it every single day. Someone said, if I had known this, I would have at least sold my house and gone to eat at Heavy Lao that day. Other people said there are always such big opportunities in the big cities. Okay? So other people are saying, I spend so much money every time I go to Heidi Lao, I feel like there's no meaning and working anymore when I could have just gotten 10 times back if I had just gone there that day. It's like the lottery system. So they turn this insanely negative thing into a damn, I wish I ate there on piss day. So people are like, shiba should have done something like that. But instead they didn't. Okay. Another similar incident with overnight food. Have you heard of Mixu Mishu? M I, X U E. How do you pronounce that? Yeah, they have a location in New York now.

[Co-host]

Oh my gosh.

[Host]

Okay, so they have a bubble tea train. This was around like world consumer rights. They became one of the companies that were exposed in this investigative expose, slamming the door open, opening Pandora's box because they have these 50 cent lemonades. And it's. Everyone knows what it is. It's water and lemons. And then they have orange. It's like hand punched orange, they say. So they like. You know how when you make a cocktail, you kind of, I don't know what it's called. Muddle them, metal them, I don't know, but you kind of smush it around. But instead of adding alcohol, they just add water. So it's 50 cents. You're getting hydrated, it's not too sugary. And it's like a nice cold refreshment. It's like spa water, cucumber water. 50 cents. I would pay for that, right? Especially if I'm out and about and a water bottle is more expensive. I'm getting the 50 cent cucumber water. Well, turns out, turns out sometimes they would use the same lemons the next day. The Lemons would be left overnight and then they would use it the next day. Okay. That's like the whole. That's the drama.

[Researcher/Guest]

And serious.

[Host]

It was serious, serious, very serious. Everybody was going crazy over this. Mainstream media is reporting this, as if, holy shit, this brand is gonna go down. All the comments said, if my lemon water doesn't have lemons that sit out a little, that rest overnight, I don't fucking want it.

[Researcher/Guest]

Why?

[Host]

Because they say, how dare you try to take down our 50 cent fucking waters. And then all the comments said, michu, I already had low standards, but I'm lowering it again just for you. That's it.

[Researcher/Guest]

Okay. Because the product is so good and so affordable.

[Host]

Yeah.

[Researcher/Guest]

And they don't mind the lemon sits overnight.

[Host]

Yeah. And then everyone's saying mainstream media journalist Michu uses overnight fruit. Netizens, they use real fruit. Incredible.

[Co-host]

Let's go more often.

[Host]

People say, you know what, here's the easiest step.

[Researcher/Guest]

That's true.

[Host]

Open Michu 24 hours, then we won't have overnight fruit and I'll get my lemon water at 3 in the morning. People are like, don't come from my Michu. Okay, Easy on my Michoud. Which by the way, if you're in New York City, you can go to Michoud. And I believe they're having similar prices. I don't think it's American prices. I think you can get like a soft serve ice cream cone for a dollar. And I heard it's fucking banging.

[Co-host]

Yes.

[Host]

And then if you guys have seen this giant snowman character with a smiley face, it's like the really cute snowman on edited as the Statue of Liberty. That was Michu.

[Researcher/Guest]

Okay.

[Host]

Yeah. Cuz they're coming to New York. Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. I actually have not seen a Mishu fight in New York though. But people have saw them on the. Okay, so their mascot fight. Yeah. Okay, so their mascot is the snow King. It's a giant. Giant snowman. Cute. The most adorable fucking snowman you've ever seen. Always smiling and it's like a big inflatable. So they have mascots at their stores. A lot of people started spotting them in the dirty streets of New York City. One of them was spotted on the train and so everyone's like, oh my

[Researcher/Guest]

God, that's so smart.

[Host]

Why is Michu on the train?

[Researcher/Guest]

They made their mascot just walk around, roam around the city.

[Host]

Yes, yes. And it's actually really smart because in China they have Michu fights. So it's like a thing in China. I didn't Know, it's part of the culture. Okay, my culture is not your joke. But. But it's like a. It's a thing where every store, a lot of their brands have their own mascots. And these mascots, a lot of the times in touristy areas specifically, or high traffic areas, they have a lot of stores. So you'll have like a Michu, you'll have another Boba tea shop, you'll have another fast food chain, right? Like one store away from each other and they all get their inflatable mascots and they just start fucking fighting on the street. I've never seen anything like this before. And I went down this deep rabbit hole of watching copious movies, amounts of videos. I think I almost became brain dead from these Michoud fights. So this snow king will go out there and will just start going crazy. It'll start singing. They have a theme song. It's like, you love me, I love you, Michu. Sweet and lovely. And they'll sing it while they're fighting. One of Michu's biggest competitors is called Chapanda. And a panda is their mascot. I know. Whoopty fucking doo. We never would have guessed, right? And so on the street, sometimes you'll randomly just see a snowman and a blue panda fighting. And so here's what I was thinking, okay? I'm like, this is a Saturday event because, like, why would you do this on a Tuesday? It's a Saturday event when there's a lot of traffic, when there's a lot of people walking by, right? But in every single video, there's only like three people walking by. And I'm like, oh, they're doing this for fun.

[Co-host]

They're dedicated, these masters.

[Researcher/Guest]

They're paid fighters.

[Co-host]

Yeah. They're MMA fighters in disguise. They're training for something.

[Researcher/Guest]

How severe is the fight? How dedicated are they?

[Host]

Okay, so when it's two inflatables, right, they do lots of bouncing and boom, boom. And then some of them will flip over. Now it gets really intense to the point where a lot of them will

[Co-host]

deflate because the fight was so intense.

[Host]

And they have backup ones.

[Co-host]

So they.

[Host]

Backup ones that'll come in and do the rest of the fight. What do you mean?

[Researcher/Guest]

They have friends, peers?

[Host]

Yeah, they have multiple Mishu snowmen. Oh, yeah, Mishu's got big budget.

[Researcher/Guest]

No, it's like a gang fight.

[Host]

Yes. And then one of them actually doesn't fight, and one of the snowmen just holds up the a Michu flag as like symbolizing we won. Yeah. They just like wave it around. So there's like three snowmen.

[Co-host]

There's this one picture I can't get out of my head. It's like a Mishu snowman standing at the Mishu store. And then the Mishu next to him, another snowman is just plopped on the ground. No one's helping. No one's even looking at the one on the ground. It's just like dead on the ground. People are acting like this is completely normal. This is just another day for Snow King.

[Host]

Sometimes they have. They also have their giant ice cream soft serve cone. They have like a plastic replica of it outside, like a giant prop. And sometimes when Mishu gets real riled up, they'll grab it and try to poke, chop pandas inflatable to pop it.

[Co-host]

It's just funny. I don't know what's happening. Like you would genuinely think that this is for promotional purposes. No, they just be doing that.

[Host]

Like they're stabbing each other with ice cream cones. They're getting deflated. It's a lot. It's a lot that's happening. These battles are not. They're not.

[Co-host]

Kids play.

[Host]

And there's that. There's this huge burger chain in China called Wallace.

[Co-host]

I've never heard of a Chinese word called a Wallace.

[Host]

Okay, but they're like the competitor for kfc because KFC is actually pretty quite pricey in China. So Wallace is the affordable version. And they are not Michus competition. They sell burgers, Michu sells boba and drinks and ice cream. But it doesn't matter. During one of Wallace's grand openings, it was like a drive by, okay, Snow King show up and just start beating

[Co-host]

up the burger mascot. Out of nowhere, they just roll. Yeah, they roll up, get out the van, and they just start pum.

[Host]

Oh, and even the Michu customers are really funny. So there was this one incident that was. Went super viral last year where a customer ordered cha Panda boba tea takeout. They realized they get it and they checked the label and they had specifically requested added sugar. But then they checked their delivery app and it says added sugar. But they check their drink. There's no added sugar. It's fucking bitter. So they're pissed. They reach out to chop hands at that exact location and they say, hey, listen, I asked for added sugar and you didn't give me added sugar. So what are we gonna do about this? And they're like, we're so sorry, we're gonna get you a full refund. The customer texts them back because it's like a Chat. And they say, no, get me the employee who made the mistake and have them sing the Michu theme song for me. If they sing it, I'll write a good review. Chow Panda responds, okay, give her some time to get into the right headspace. I don't want the refund, so get ready. After a few seconds, Cha Panda replies with a 20 second voice message of

[Co-host]

them singing the competitor theme song with full enthusiasm. They did the entire song, not the one line motto, the entire song.

[Host]

Customer said, I forgive you. They respond, thank you, dear.

[Researcher/Guest]

Yo, this is too good.

[Co-host]

What the fuck is happening right now? Yeah, yeah.

[Host]

Their soft serve is only $1.99 in New York, so you should go get it if you're in the city. But they're also just like roaming around. I want to see some mascots. Scott's fights in the city. I need to see Snow King in action.

[Researcher/Guest]

The only thing I can think of is Jollibee. That's the only. That's the only thing I have.

[Host]

And because it's been going so viral in New York, everyone's been talking about.

[Co-host]

Everyone's like, fuck Starbucks, Fuck all these expensive matcha brands.

[Host]

Go to Michoud and everyone is posting the Statue of Liberty with Snow King. And all the New Yorkers are saying, saying, one day this place will be yours.

[Co-host]

Everyone's obsessed, how did we get here? Oh, yeah, that's how Shibei should have done it. That's what I was trying to say.

[Researcher/Guest]

Yeah, just get that mask on. Just like pop pop.

[Host]

Exactly. But they don't. They open up their kitchens and now look at the shitter that you've caused. Look at this mess that you have caused. So this goes on back and forth for the entirety of September and into October. And at this point, she BAE is losing $600 million of revenue. Like, they're losing so much money, their stores are becoming empty to the point where finally they apologize and they make a whole list of all the things that they're going to fix in the store. They're gonna stop using GMO seed oils for all the adults food, since they don't use it for the kids food. They're gonna lower prices by like 20%. They start doing these crazy promotional coupons and they start doing the most cringe pr. So usually when things settle down, people were expecting Shiba would just try to bolster the image that they're using healthy foods again and, like, try to provide evidence, try to provide proof of it. They did do this thing where they installed security cameras in the kitchen and then that security feed is depicted to the customers that are sitting in the restaurant. So you can see what's going on in the kitchen. And they're switching up the cooking processes

[Co-host]

look like they are doing a lot,

[Host]

but they're also doing a lot of cringe PR moves to try and save their reputation. So they post this entire story of a Shibei employee. And she's sitting there and she's like, this is the story of seven year old Maomao. Maomao means hair, right?

[Researcher/Guest]

Yeah.

[Co-host]

Okay.

[Host]

So she's like saying that there was this mother who had seen all the recent news of Xibei and said told her son that they're never gonna eat at Shiba anymore. And this entire story is so dramatic. The waiter is like, the moment the seven year old Maomao walked into the shop, he rushed straight towards the manager, wrapped his arms around her legs and burst into tears. And Maomao's sudden actions left Fang Fang, the manager, just frozen in place. Like, what on earth is going on? Are you okay, child? And he's explaining. My mom recently saw discussions online and casually said to the family, maybe we shouldn't take the kids to Shibei this Sunday like we do every Sunday. It was just a little thing that his mom threw out. But Maomao overheard it. He started crying, throwing a tantrum, insisting on going to Xibei even when his mom tried to distract him. Like I'll take you to grandma's instead, or I'll take you to buy a toy instead. Instead, he resisted all temptations and he was determined to have his Shibei kids meal. That was his promise with Xibei. So Maomao's mother realized that her child had been eating Xibei since since he was 2 years old. And in the past five years, there had never been any food safety issues. She shouldn't let some online discussion undermine that trust. That five year journey from ages 2 to 7 was no longer just about eating. It had become a habit in her child's growth and a reflection of her parents trust in Xi. What warmed our Manager Fang Fang is not just the love from customers, but also the love from Xi Bay itself.

[Researcher/Guest]

Yikes.

[Host]

The employee is filming this. You know, they forced the poor employee to film this. And from a PR perspective. What the fuck?

[Co-host]

Just shut up.

[Host]

That's crazy considering all of that that's been going on. This is the last thing. And people said, everyone thought that Shibei had already taken off all their clothes and there was nothing left to see. But they bent over, spread their ass cheeks open and said, let me show you Mao Mao. Which means, let me show you my butt hair. And people are saying this because no one thinks 7 year old Mao Mao exists. So they're not like dogging on a kid. They didn't show a kid, you know,

[Co-host]

it's just a story of a hypothetical

[Host]

kid that nobody thinks exists. Everyone's like, this story definitely didn't happen. And then people started doing these photoshopped images of a kid hugging a Shiba employee. And the caption is, it's okay, Maomao, I will freeze it for you and you can eat it when you get older.

[Co-host]

So right off the bat, this story already sounds fake.

[Host]

But then netizens start nipping, picking it,

[Co-host]

and they're all questioning like all the random details.

[Host]

So the employee is like, oh yeah, I've known Maomao and he's in kindergarten now. And all the comments are like, that kid is seven and in kindergarten. I don't know how ages work, but all the Chinese netizens are like seven and in kindergarten. The Shiba food got to him. He's not learning. Okay. People are saying like, what is happening? That's why you can't feed them Shiba. Then the second story that they come out with, they start doing these like employee stories of how much the employees love, you know, shibei and how they customers of it. So this one employee is like, you know, I was serving this elderly man and he was an old man, he was from Inner Mongolia, and people love a very specific noodle there. And Xi Bei's version, he said, is very authentic. So he asked me if I could bring him lamb soup and another separate bowl of soup, but only charge him for one. So I said sure. And I told him I would check with the manager. And that's how we first met. From then on, every time he came in, he would go to one of the private rooms, he would look, look for me. And everyone's like, this is starting to sound like a grooming type of situation. But okay. I served him from 2002 to 2004. And one day he called me and said that he's staying at a retirement home now. Whenever he came to get takeout, I would just pack him a week's worth of food and write down the menu from Monday through Sunday. And I don't know which part touched him, but I guess our sincerity at Shiba really mattered to him. And then he told me that he had this one bedroom property and wanted to. To gift it to me. I was only 17 at the time. I was so shocked.

[Researcher/Guest]

I didn't know it was 17 at the time.

[Co-host]

Yeah. What in the world?

[Host]

I didn't know what to say, and I politely refused.

[Researcher/Guest]

Later, she started working when she was 15.

[Host]

Everyone.

[Co-host]

Everyone said, wait a minute. Is she be admitting to child abuse? Like child labor laws being broken?

[Researcher/Guest]

What? Who wrote that?

[Host]

Yeah. And she said, you know, later he made moved to the retirement home and we stopped contacting each other. But I still think the sincerity we have at Shiba is really special. And everyone said, okay, well, first of all, this is clearly a made up story. But second of all, even if it

[Co-host]

were a remotely true story, like you were getting groomed, you were getting groomed, and your bosses are telling you that this is a cute story. You were getting groomed, you were 17.

[Host]

And also they're like, wait, let me analyze this. This man walks in, he said, let me get two bowls of soup and I want you to charge me for one.

[Co-host]

And yet he wants to gift you his house. What?

[Host]

Other people are saying you started working two years ago. You were 17 when you offered the house, so you were 15. So is Shibei saying that they're.

[Co-host]

This is child labor, they're abusing the laws? Is that what's happening?

[Host]

And then other people are saying, you can tell grandpa that he can still eat Shiba at the retirement home. You can just prepare him two years worth of food. It'll be fine. And then someone else said, let me just finish the story for you. In the end, the two of them, the 17 year old and the Hara. The grandpa get married and they have a kid named Mao. Mao.

[Co-host]

Because they're saying all of this is fake. These are imaginary characters.

[Host]

Then the last story. Yeah, they do another story. And this time it's like at a Shibei work conference where one of the employees goes up and is like, I need to tell you about one of the best stories I've had working at she Bay. And the founder of Shibei Jia is in the crowd, and he's just tearing up. And the camera pans to him at the perfect time that. That he's tearing up. It's like a wedding vow more than anything.

[Co-host]

Okay.

[Host]

It's like, what's happening? So this is the story of the one year old. She said this mother walks in and this mother was telling her, like her one year old would just never eat enough food. They went to the doctor, they did everything that they could. But when they started taking him to eat at Shibei, that's when he truly learned how to eat food. And that's how Shibei became a family. And now he's almost three years old, now has very strong feelings towards Shibei. And there was one time where the closest location to us had sh. Shut down. He saw the manager, ran up to the manager on the last day when everything's already closed, and was just sobbing because this is how he eats this, he eats that.

[Researcher/Guest]

He lives in the three year old.

[Host]

Yeah. She bae. And it's just. I mean, Shiba literally was the only reason my child ate food.

[Co-host]

And then Gia's just in the crowd wiping his tears.

[Host]

Okay.

[Co-host]

But then, you know what's crazy?

[Host]

People are like, who the fuck is this employee sharing this story? Turns out Gia's stepdaughter.

[Researcher/Guest]

The fuck? Okay.

[Host]

Yeah. So they're like, okay, this is not an employee who works at a store.

[Co-host]

This is literally.

[Host]

It's crazy. And then there were other episodes or like other viral things that were just taking off. There would be this one guy who's sitting there and he's like, I always take my kid to Shebae. Like people, whatever they're saying online is just flat out fake. I take my kid is she bay every single day. And you know what he's talking about. Than the other kids in his class. Hey. And then. And then the netizens, they catch him

[Co-host]

at a Shiba location in a Shiba uniform. And they said, wait a minute. So Shiba is having employees pretend to be customers online, allegedly.

[Host]

And posting videos endorsing Shiba.

[Researcher/Guest]

Embarrassing.

[Host]

They can't take an L. They can't take the L. So then people are like, okay, let me just title this drama out for you. Episode one, the MAU MAU who cried because they couldn't eat Shibei. Episode two, the uncle who wanted to gift a home after drinking soup in Beijing. Episode three, the barely one year old baby who couldn't have Shibei. Waiting for episode four. Now. Yeah. And then people said, I come up with the next script. A terminally ill patient eats at she bay. Three days later. Wow. They're cured.

[Co-host]

Because that's how crazy it's been getting.

[Host]

But what's crazy is people are going on redbook and a lot of Shiba locations are packed. They got lines out the door.

[Researcher/Guest]

Why?

[Host]

They're doing lots of promotions. They've lowered the prices across the board. And it seems like. I don't know if they're gonna make a full comeback, but it seems like they're doing okay. What are your thoughts? This is like the weirdest Chinaverse story I've ever encountered in my life. I never knew it would get this crazy because we have lots of influencer restaurant dramas in the US where it's always like the influencers. Like I want freak appetizers for a story and then it's like okay, that's crazy. But this. This is crazy.

[Researcher/Guest]

This is wow.

[Host]

I thought it would be more on the lines of that. But this. This is a 600 million dollar call out by an influencer and an even crazier food chain owner. What are your thoughts? Leave it in the comments and I'll see you in the next one. Hey, whatcha doing? Are you doomscrolling other people's vacations? Miami San Diego With Expedia, your trip can earn rewards which you can use towards your next eligible stay. Soon people will doomscroll you Expedia, the one place you go to go places Terms apply.

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