Hotpot restaurants sizzle during holiday

As diners across China gathered to celebrate the National Day "Golden Week" holiday, hotpot restaurants emerged as major beneficiaries of the country's weeklong consumption surge.

China's Xiabuxiabu Restaurant Management Co, which operates the Xiabuxiabu and CouCou hotpot brands, reported combined revenue exceeding 100 million yuan ($13.8 million) during the holiday period, highlighting the continued strength of China's dining and leisure sectors.

Xiabuxiabu recorded total net sales of more than 65 million yuan nationwide, up 3.4 percent year-on-year, serving about 1.18 million customers. Sales peaked on Oct 8, with daily revenue surpassing 9 million yuan. Cities including Heilongjiang's Harbin, Jilin's Changchun, Zhengzhou in Henan province and Shenyang in Liaoning province experienced notable growth in traffic, driven by increased domestic travel and higher mall footfall.

Several outlets reported standout figures: the Tianjin's Florentia Village store achieved 66,000 yuan in sales on Oct 5 with a table turnover rate of 10.8, while outlets in Beijing's Floral Village also posted strong results.

CouCou Hotpot experienced similar momentum. Its Shanghai Disneytown outlet reached a turnover rate of 7.4, and outlets in Changshu and Wuxi reported average daily revenue increases of over 220 percent compared to pre-holiday levels.