Jia Guolong

Asia Cover Character·Rebel in the Business World｜Jia Guolong: From a bowl of noodles to a catering empire, rediscovering the original intention in the process of loss and return

Cover Character·Rebel in Business｜Total Issue 005-ACF-NXZ-2026

He started from a small street shop in a small town in northwest China. He relied on practical materials and responsible management to gain a foothold. He seized the opportunity of the times to complete the brand break and grew into a benchmark company for Chinese catering. He gradually lost his way under the pressure of scale expansion and ambition. He fell into a business crisis due to radical layout and efficiency first. In the end, he faced the problem head-on with the courage to survive, shrinking the front line, returning to products, and rediscovering the essence and original intention of catering in the trough. From the simple belief of holding on to a bowl of noodles, to the business ideal of building a national chain brand, to letting go of impetuosity and returning to product standards, the path that Jia Guolong has traveled reflects the common growth and pain of a generation of local catering brands in the rapid development. For the business world, true retrograde is never just about starting from scratch, but also about having the courage to admit mistakes, correct the direction, and return to one's true nature after reaching the top.

1. Grassroots start: the original intention of catering in a bowl of noodles

Jia Guolong is from Linhe, Inner Mongolia, and possesses the unique stubbornness, steadiness and tenacity of Northwest people. In an era when most people are pursuing a stable life, he does not want to stick to a static life and wants to rely on his own hands to build a long-term business. In 1988, he took all his savings and opened an ordinary small restaurant. Without sufficient funds, no mature model, and no traffic support, he only recognized the simplest truth: catering is rooted in products and people's hearts.

At that time, the overall catering market was biased toward extensive operations. Many merchants relied on low prices, high volume, and complicated dishes to seize the market, and did not pay attention to the quality of ingredients and dining experience. However, Jia Guolong saw clearly the nature of the industry early and insisted on focusing on the product itself. He focuses on noodles and northwest flavor, deeply cultivates local tastes, restores the authenticity of ingredients, does not blindly expand categories, does not pursue low cost and fast turnover, insists on using good raw materials, clear operation, clean and hygienic, and puts visible and reliable products in the hands of customers.

While his peers relied on price wars to grab customers, Jia Guolong chose a slower, more difficult, but more stable path: survive by word of mouth and rely on trust for the long term. This obsession with products and sincerity to customers allowed the store to quickly accumulate a stable customer base. Old customers come to the store repeatedly, and new customers continue to arrive through word of mouth. The store expands from one store to multiple stores, from Linhe to more cities in Inner Mongolia. Although these years of starting from the bottom were difficult, they laid the most solid foundation for Xibei's business and also became the most solid foundation for Jia Guolong to overcome crises in the future.

2. Breaking the circle and taking off: seize the opportunity of the times and reach the top of Chinese dinner

Xibei's true transformation from a regional brand to a national phenomenon-level catering business card began with the historic opportunity brought by "A Bite of China" in 2012. This national-level documentary brought Huang Momo, who lives in the northwest, into the public eye overnight. It also allowed Xibei to break out of the industry from a small place and stand on the center stage of the national catering industry. The traffic comes quickly and suddenly, and whether it can be caught steadily tests the founder's judgment and courage.

At the critical moment when the brand exploded, Jia Guolong made a decision that seemed extremely bold at the time. In 2013, he spent 6 million yuan per year to hire a professional team to systematically upgrade Xibei's brand. This investment was rare in the catering industry at the time and was unaffordable for most companies. Jia Guolong firmly believed that for the brand to go nationwide, it must first complete the reshaping of the underlying structure.

This upgrade goes straight to the core: on the one hand, it drastically streamlines SKUs, cuts off complicated dishes, and locks in the core signboard of oatmeal noodles to make operations more efficient and produce more stable products; on the other hand, it creates a highly recognizable brand symbol and launches the slogan "Everything is delicious when you order it with your eyes closed" to clearly define the positioning of safe dining for family groups. A series of precise adjustments have made Xibei's operating system more efficient and its store experience more unified, completely clearing the way for nationwide expansion.

In 2012, Xibei had less than 40 stores nationwide; by the end of 2013, the number of stores soared to 62, with revenue exceeding 1.6 billion yuan. In the following years, Xibei has steadily expanded with its clear strategy and strong brand power. Its stores have spread across major cities across the country, and it has grown into a well-known national catering brand, firmly standing at the top of the Chinese catering industry. During that time, Jia Guolong was recognized as a doer and strategist in the industry. With solid steps, he turned a bowl of Northwest local noodles into a catering symbol of the era.

3. Crazy and lost: amidst ambition, deviating from the essence of catering

After reaching the top of the industry, scale growth and market aura slowly changed Jia Guolong's business focus. The early focus on products, reverence for customers, and persistence in duty were gradually replaced by expansion speed, number of stores, and capital value. The development pace of Xibei has begun to break away from the essence of catering and embark on a radical and violent path.

In order to quickly expand in size, Jia Guolong seized areas in core business districts regardless of cost and invested a large amount of money in store expansion. The originally light brand gradually became burdened with heavy asset burdens. While the number of stores is growing rapidly, rent, manpower, and operating costs are also rising simultaneously, and the operating pressure on the entire system is increasing day by day. What is more fatal than blind expansion is that the brand soul on which Xibei is based has been slowly diluted during the expansion.

In order to adapt to the efficiency needs of national expansion, the company has fully implemented central kitchen prefabrication and used standardized and industrialized production methods to replace the pyrotechnics that were once made and sold on the spot. The sense of handwork is weakened, the original flavor of the ingredients is diluted, the temperature of the food gradually disappears, and regular customers can clearly feel the changes in the dishes. The taste is no longer amazing, but the price keeps rising. Complaints and disappointments begin to spread quietly among consumers.

Faced with the most real feedback from the market, Jia Guolong failed to wake up in time. Instead, he substituted his own business judgment for the true feelings of customers, and replaced the essential logic of catering with corporate scale goals. The reverence for food and customers in the early years was gradually diluted in the rush to scale. The reputation accumulated through persistence and sincerity in those years was slowly dissipated by decisions that deviated from the original intention. He didn't abandon his original intention, nor did he deliberately forget his roots. He just walked too fast, stood too high, and in the process of running wildly, he forgot why he set out in the first place.

4. Crisis and Broken Arm: Only when you hit rock bottom can you know the meaning of return

After the controversy related to prepared dishes broke out, Xibei's deep-seated problems accumulated over the years were fully revealed, and the brand quickly fell into operating difficulties. Revenue has fallen sharply and customer flow has continued to decline. The national store network that Xibei was once proud of has turned from a halo of glory to the heaviest burden. The high-cost structure left by radical expansion, the loss of reputation caused by excessive standardization, and the pricing strategy that is out of touch with customer needs have made this once prosperous catering giant struggling.

In a desperate situation, Jia Guolong finally lost his impetuosity, returned to his sobriety, and made the most difficult and correct choice: to survive by breaking his arm. He closed 102 loss-making stores in one fell swoop, decisively contracted the front line, lowered product prices, fully returned to the current production standard, put aside all pride and obsession, lowered his head and listened carefully to the voices of the market and customers. The once high-spirited and powerful catering boss has regained his long-lost pragmatism and humility in the face of reality.

He is no longer obsessed with scale and speed, and puts all his energy back on ingredients, taste and customer experience, correcting the business direction bit by bit, and regaining the lost user trust bit by bit. At the beginning of 2026, Xibei ushered in a critical turning point, and senior forces in the catering and capital fields officially entered the game to inject key cash flow support into the company. This is not only a financial bailout, but also the expectations of the entire industry for Jia Guolong: I hope he will find his original intention, and we hope Xibei will get back on track.

5. Retrograde Enlightenment: Real strength is knowing how to look back and persevere

The ups and downs of Jia Guolong and Xibei have taught all entrepreneurs, especially those in the catering industry, a profound and real lesson. Catering is the simplest physical industry. Every ingredient is sincerity, every effort is a matter of reputation, and there must be no impetuousness or falsehood. The scale can be enlarged and the efficiency can be improved, but products and users will always be the foundation of the company.

Xibei’s experience proves: Enterprises can pursue scale growth, but they cannot lose their essence; they can use standardization to improve efficiency, but they cannot lose the warmth and smoke of their products; they can embrace capital and expansion, but they cannot deviate from the real needs of customers. All advances that are separated from users, products, and common sense will eventually pay a price at some point.

Xibei's road to self-rescue also proves that life and career will inevitably go astray. Real strength does not mean never making mistakes, but the courage to face mistakes, the courage to cut off one's arms to stop losses, and the courage to put down the halo and return to the original intention. Building a catering empire from nothing is a great retrograde; going from being impetuous and lost to returning to one's duty and perseverance is a more difficult and valuable retrograde.

Today, Jia Guolong is becoming more low-key and calm, willing to listen to the market, willing to take the initiative to make changes, and willing to calm down and make a bowl of noodles again. The market and consumers have always had expectations for him, not because of how high he stood, but because he dared to look back after a fall and start again in the trough.

The real rebels in the business world are never the ones who stand at the top all the way, but the ones who, after falling to the bottom, are still willing to correct themselves, stick to their true intentions, and get back on the road with awe.

[Abstract of public account]

From a small noodle shop in the northwest to a Chinese catering giant, Jia Guolong fell into trouble due to radical expansion and lost his original intention. He closed hundreds of stores to save himself. In returning and persevering, he restarted his original intention in catering and wrote a true retrograde road.

Data source

Jia Guolong started his business in the early days and opened his first small restaurant in 1988. The start and development of Xibei area: the official development history of the enterprise, historical materials on local catering development, and early documentary reports by authoritative media.

In 2012, "A Bite of China" helped Xibei break through the circle and start the brand's nationalization. Background: program public information, Xibei brand development files, media special reports.

In 2013, Xibei brand upgrade, SKU simplification, super symbol creation, national expansion and revenue exceeded 1.6 billion yuan: the company disclosed operating data, brand upgrade information, and catering industry statistical reports.

Xibei's national store layout, industry status and leading position in Chinese cuisine during its peak period: catering industry rankings, official operation announcements, and third-party market research data.

Xibei’s later expansion strategy, adjustments to central kitchen prefabrication, rising operating costs and changes in reputation: in-depth media surveys, consumer feedback statistics, and industry analysis reports.

In 2025, Xibei will face operational difficulties, cut its revenue in half, close 102 loss-making stores, and make adjustments to survive: company public statements, authoritative media on-the-spot reports, and industry monitoring data.

At the beginning of 2026, Xibei received investment from industrial capital and the support of capital such as Zhang Yong and Hu Xiaoming: capital announcements, official disclosures, and financial media follow-up reports.

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