From screen to grill

Sun admits that he also spent a significant amount of time convincing the executives of the production team to issue him a license to become the documentary's official outlet. He reveals that he spent 5 million yuan ($697,621), which is inclusive of the licensing fee, to set up the 160-square-meter store that can accommodate 140 seats.

Sun estimates that 80 percent of his customers are die-hard fans of the documentary. Li Yiren, a 19-year-old college student, is one of them.

"This is the first time that I've spent so much time queuing to eat at a restaurant," says Li.

"Me being here is just like a person craving a trip to Disneyland after watching Disney cartoons. I am demonstrating my support for the documentary by patronizing this shop," she adds.

Accompanied by her mother, who took a day off especially for the meal, Li says this was their second attempt at dining at the restaurant. The first time they came was on the opening day during dinner hours. They were told that the number of people waiting in line then had already outnumbered the total capacity the restaurant could accommodate before it closed at 3 am the following day.

Having watched the documentary three times, Li says the show not only whetted her appetite for the skewers, but also helped her to empathize with the roadside vendors who sell this food.

Her thoughts were shared by those from the production team.

Chen Yingjie, the director of the show, notes in one of his public speeches that the purpose of the documentary was not just to show how tantalizing grilled food is. He also hoped the audience, especially those from the younger generation, would be encouraged to take their eyes off their mobile devices and observe the life of others around them.