From “don’t come,” to “the more customers, the better.” These were the refrains made by the owner of a chicken hotpot restaurant in southern China famous for shirking fame and which has recently drawn criticism for perceived hypocrisy due to its rapid expansion.

In April, “Mo’s Chicken Hotpot,” in the southern Guangdong province’s Foshan City, went viral after the recommendation of a popular food vlogger. The eatery drew crowds for its signature medicinal hotpot made from freshly slaughtered chickens — and whose healing properties included causing diarrhea, according to notices in the restaurant. 

During the initial vlogger’s visit, the restaurant’s owner, surnamed Mo, insisted that customers should “not come” as he would not be able to handle the popularity. Nevertheless, the restaurant began drawing thousands of customers a day, including celebrities and influencers.

But the restaurant’s expansion to five branches in Guangdong and Shanghai — with another expected to open in the southern city of Shenzhen next year — and frequent online advertisements in the months since have drawn ridicule, domestic media reported this week. Social media users argue the restaurant’s current activities contradict Mo’s previous rejection of fame.

Earlier interviews quoted Mo as saying he had no plans to raise prices or open new outlets, leading some online to question whether his indifferent persona had been a marketing strategy from the beginning.

As of this month, Mo said the restaurant has hired a 20-person livestreaming team and broadcasts twice a day. “We can’t afford not to livestream,” he told domestic media. “The pressure is just too great.”

The eatery’s official account on Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok, now has around 500,000 followers. It posts two to three times a week, mainly skits promoting its signature chicken hotpot alongside health tips. Several videos have garnered tens of thousands of likes.

The restaurant also sells meal kits, Chinese medicine, herbal teas, and local specialties such as salt-baked chicken via its online store.

The rating for Mo’s Chicken Hotpot on review platform Dianping has fallen from a peak of 4.8 out of 5 in April to 3.7, according to domestic media. Negative reviews mention inconsistent food quality, flies and poor hygiene standards in the restaurant, and high prices.

Visitor numbers have also fluctuated. In June, domestic media reported that sales at the original restaurant had fallen from 200 to 400 orders a day to fewer than 20 a day by the end of the month. However, Mo told domestic media in mid-July that the restaurant handles no fewer than 150 orders a day.

In a video interview with domestic media, Mo responded to the criticism, saying, “At first, when we suddenly became so popular, I really didn’t want the attention. We were so busy, it made me want to throw up.” 

“Now I actually want the business to be even better,” he added. “When fortune gives you an opportunity like this … and there’s money to be made, why wouldn’t I try to make money? I’d be a fool not to.”

Mo also admitted that despite the restaurant’s expansion and livestreaming business, profits remain limited.

“Traffic comes quickly, and it disappears just as quickly. After a month or two, how do you sustain it? It’s really hard,” adding that if another wave of popularity were to come, he would “honestly close shop and stop.”

Mo also joined the second season of popular domestic cooking competition show “The Divine Dish,” which premiered Wednesday. He was eliminated in the first round. 

“The ingredients (he used) were good, but his technique was poor,” one of the show’s judges said of his signature chicken hotpot. 

On his Douyin account, Mo responded to his elimination, saying, “I will continue to use the finest ingredients and simplest methods to cook you the familiar chicken hotpot that warms your heart.”

Editor: Marianne Gunnarsson.

(Header image: Visuals from Weibo, reedited by Sixth Tone)