Xibei's New Brand Opens Quietly, Jia Guolong Responds for the First Time: Stores Hired Xibei Staff, Will Open More

Why did Jia Guolong shift from the “Ten Thousand Stores Dream” to conservative self-rescue?

Recently, media reports indicated that Jia Guolong’s new entrepreneurial project, Tianbian Claypot Braised Noodles, opened in Beijing’s 798 Art District, featuring Inner Mongolia B盟-style claypot braised noodles. The new brand is part of the effort to take over some stores and staff after Xibei’s closures. Xibei will adopt a strategy of “closing some, converting some, and retaining core ones.”

On March 19, Jia Guolong told the Beijing News that most of the staff at this store are employees of Xibei, and the store is performing well. “We plan to open a few more.”

Xibei is not the first sub-brand to attract attention, and Jia Guolong’s entrepreneurial ventures have experienced ups and downs. The Beijing News noted that industry opinions suggest that, unlike the previous pursuit of the “10,000-Store Fast Food Dream,” the core mission of the new brand marks Jia Guolong’s shift from aggressive expansion to conservative self-rescue. According to media reports and the latest data updated in March 2026 by Narrow Door Restaurant Eye, Xibei’s nationwide stores have shrunk from a peak of 486 to about 250.

“Xibei’s” new brand quietly opens with an average spend of 60 yuan

The Beijing News found on Dianping that Xibei’s new brand, Tianbian Claypot Braised Noodles, is located in the 798 Art District, with an average spend of 61 yuan. Main dishes include lamb spicy skin braised noodles, green bean and pork rib braised noodles, etc. Most online reviews say “taste is okay,” “good environment,” “noodles taste like Xibei,” some mention “live band performances,” and one reviewer said they met Jia Guolong in person at the store.

According to the business license and food operation permit information on Dianping, this restaurant belongs to Xibei Tengger Catering Management Co., Ltd. Tianyancha shows that this company is 100% owned by Inner Mongolia Xibei Catering Group Co., Ltd. Beijing Xibei Tengger Catering Management Co., Ltd. was established in November 2021, with Ma Wenbin as legal representative and a registered capital of 1 million yuan.

Media reports reveal that Jia Guolong told the media that Xibei plans to close some stores and hopes a new brand can take over some stores and staff. On March 19, the Beijing News asked Jia Guolong about this and the situation of store closures and new brand layout. He confirmed that Tianbian Claypot Braised Noodles is indeed a new restaurant brand launched by Xibei, and most of the current staff are Xibei employees. Jia Guolong said that based on the current operation, “it’s doing well, and we plan to open more. Some are new openings, and some old stores will convert to this new brand.”

Jia Guolong told the Beijing News that he has never publicly promoted the Tianbian brand. “I haven’t given any interviews before. I think maybe when I was in the store, someone asked me about this store, and I just told them.”

Industry analysis suggests “Xibei” is no longer pursuing expansion

Public information shows that Xibei Catering started in 1989. Jia Guolong began with a small restaurant in Linhe, Inner Mongolia. In 1999, he established Xibei Youmian Village in Beijing, positioning itself in high-end dining with transparent kitchens, Northwestern flavors, and family dining scenes. Jia Guolong’s ambitions once extended beyond fine dining. He proposed “making Xibei available on every street corner,” aiming to create a “Chinese McDonald’s,” initiating nearly a decade of fast-food experiments.

In 2016, Xibei launched a sub-brand, “Xibei Oat Noodles,” with a “100,000+ stores” strategy, but halted it after three months. In 2017, Xibei “Maixiang Village” opened, targeting fast food, but only operated for about half a year. Over the following years, Xibei launched several brands like Super Meat Pie, Gongchangzhang, Xibei Yogurt Shop, Jia Guolong Chinese Burger, and Xibei Small Pot Beef, but all faced similar fates of being short-lived and eventually folding.

In September 2024, Jia Guolong admitted in an interview that he was a “failure” in fast food. For brands seeking a “second growth curve,” Xibei served as a lesson, and he believed the potential of the core business had never been fully tapped.

Industry experts see that the new brands launched by Xibei reflect a broader industry trend: no longer pursuing a scale of ten thousand stores or competing with fast-food giants, but focusing on employee placement and lightweight trial-and-error. The future of Tianbian Claypot Braised Noodles remains uncertain, but overall, the Chinese formal dining track faces pressure, while snack and fast-food markets are expanding. Low-cost, essential categories are more “competitive.”

Management and equity restructuring after the pre-made dish controversy

In September 2025, Xibei faced a “pre-made dish controversy.” Public reports indicated a sharp drop in customer flow, store closures, layoffs, and salary cuts at both stores and headquarters.

Before the Spring Festival in 2026, media reported that Jia Guolong had stepped down as CEO of the main Xibei brand, with Dong Junyi, an executive who had worked there for 34 years, taking over daily operations. Dong implemented a “surgical” approach: canceling the competition system, reducing store management salaries, and implementing a store manager responsibility system to cut losses, with the core goal of “keeping Xibei alive.” Jia Guolong retreated behind the scenes, focusing on product development and new brand implementation, fully stepping back from “dictatorial” management.

Xibei has not responded publicly to these reports. After the controversy, the company’s equity and financing underwent several restructurings. In January 2026, Xibei completed Series A financing, bringing in major shareholders such as Zhang Yong, founder of Xinrongji, through Taizhou Xinrongtai Investment with a 4.42% stake; Hu Xiaoming, former CEO of Ant Group, holding 2.21%; and in March, Lin Lairong, a local from Inner Mongolia and controlling shareholder of Zhongda Mining, increased investment.

Post-financing, Jia Guolong’s shareholding was diluted to 26.16%, but he remains the actual controller. Industry insiders interpret these moves as “lifesaving” funds rather than expansion capital, used to pay debts, stabilize supply chains, and settle staff. Some suggest this marks a shift from “self-sustaining” to “capital infusion.”

Beijing News reporter Wang Ping

Editor Wang Lin

Proofreader Liu Baoqing