Jia Guolong, unwilling to admit defeat

Can AI · Can Tianbian Clay Pot Braised Noodles successfully accommodate Xibei employees?

Source | Phoenix Finance “Company Research Institute”

Jia Guolong, who had been quiet for a while, is once again in the spotlight, not because of Xibei, but because of a new store.

This new store called “Tianbian Clay Pot Braised Noodles” is located in Beijing’s 798 Art District. People are rushing in again, eager to see Jia Guolong’s new story firsthand.

Jia Guolong rarely appears in the public eye in such a manner. On one hand, he is a “shrinker.” To survive, Xibei has cut back drastically, closing 102 stores nationwide, with over 4,000 employees facing decisions about their future, and store managers and head chefs collectively taking a 30% pay cut.

On the other hand, he is a “pioneer,” with a new brand named after his Inner Mongolian hometown, Ba Meng. It is said to have an average per-person spend of 40 to 50 yuan, carrying a mission: to take over some of the soon-to-close Xibei stores and rehouse those employees who might be laid off.

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At this delicate moment of “old and new transition,” capital has not shut its doors to Jia Guolong. Recently, there was a change in the business registration of Inner Mongolia Xibei Catering Group Co., Ltd., adding Lin Lairong as a shareholder, a billionaire who has a net worth of 9.5 billion yuan and ranks on the Hurun Global Rich List.

Also a native of Inner Mongolia’s Bayannur City, Lin Lairong’s involvement is interpreted as a form of “hometown camaraderie” capital support, and after Zhang Yong, founder of Xinrongji, and former Alibaba partner Hu Xiaoming, Xibei has welcomed another “reinforcement” within three months.

On one side, old stores are being leased out; on the other, new stores are opening. On one side, employees face pay cuts and idle periods; on the other, hometown benefactors are generously supporting. In spring 2026, Jia Guolong opened a dramatic fissure amid the intense tug-of-war between closing and opening, parting and reunion.

01

On-the-spot investigation of Jia Guolong’s 798 new store: full of artistic atmosphere, is a 40-yuan bowl of noodles worth it?

At 4 p.m. in 798, the atmosphere is leisurely. Following the navigation to find “Tianbian Clay Pot Braised Noodles,” I walk along the way, and what fills my ears are conversations about the entertainment industry: “Have you seen this play?”, “Top TV dramas, splitting into hundreds of segments is meaningless,” “I contacted Chen Xiaochun before,” making it seem like the industry is thriving.

Before finding the store, the sound of a Morin khuur from the grasslands drifts into my ears. Looking up, the characters “Tianbian” are right in front of me. Jia Guolong’s Inner Mongolian-style new store is located here.

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It’s a standalone building. In front of the door, a sign with “Tianbian” is nailed onto a square mound of earth, with a silver plaque beside it: “1971 Earth Clods,” showing a bit of primitive stubbornness. The entrance features three stacked large clay pots, which at first glance look like a pottery shop.

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Pushing the door open, the atmosphere becomes even richer. Tablecloths, chairs, clay pots for serving dishes, lampshades—all are in earthy and natural wood tones. The semi-new wooden furniture is everywhere. Rows of clay pots and ceramic jars are displayed on shelves, arranged with a deliberate aesthetic. Despite it being 4 p.m., the store already has six tables of customers, and staff are busy.

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As Jia Guolong said, “This store in 798 must have a strong artistic vibe.” A few steps ahead is Mi Wei Media’s “Joyful Night,” and not far is UCCA Center for Contemporary Art. The store indeed puts a lot of effort into its style.

However, many details also reveal that it is not quite “mature” yet.

Phoenix Finance “Company Research Institute” just found a seat, when a man wearing a gold ring approached with an apology: “Sorry, can you change seats?” It turns out the router on top needs fixing. An elderly man with a ponytail, carrying a small bottle of white liquor, asks if there is a bottle opener. The staff looks for one and says, “Wait a moment, I’ll go to the second floor to find it,” but it’s missing.

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Although it’s the same owner, the overall service style is different here. Orders and payments are all done via mobile, no iPads or waving to call staff needed. Water is self-served, and pickled garlic, vinegar, and chili are on the table for self-service. When ordering, you can specify tastes and allergies. The food delivery is a bit slower. Even with only six tables, the braised ribs and intestine noodles still took 20 minutes.

On the menu, clay pot braised noodles are priced between 45-59 yuan, clay pot soup noodles between 39-43 yuan, and roasted items are 16-23 yuan per portion. These prices are mixed in opinion—some think they are more affordable than Xibei, while others still find a bowl of noodles costing forty or fifty yuan quite expensive.

What left a deep impression on Phoenix Finance “Company Research Institute” was that when the clay pot was served, it was as large as a washbasin, deep like a small jar, and the spoon was somewhat exaggerated, giving a sense of grandeur. This “boldness” is also a major feature of the store.

Phoenix Finance “Company Research Institute”/Photo

Phoenix Finance “Company Research Institute”/Photo

The braised noodles at the bottom of the clay pot are quite substantial; one person would find it hard to finish alone, more suitable for sharing between two.

Since starting as a seafood restaurant, Jia Guolong seems never to have been interested in small shops. Compared to the dishes, the decor is more eye-catching. Next to the staircase leading to the second floor, several bags of flour are neatly stacked. The staff explains that the store’s noodles come from these, and the flour can also be sold separately.

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Climbing upstairs, the atmosphere on the second floor is more relaxed. The decor is more elegant, subtly exuding a bar or cafe vibe, like a place where you could play piano and sing at any moment. In the alley leading to the restroom, wooden shelves display several books—some about ceramics, others about coffee.

Phoenix Finance “Company Research Institute”/Photo

Phoenix Finance “Company Research Institute”/Photo

By evening, at 6:40 p.m., there is singing. A three-member band introduces themselves as coming from Inner Mongolia, “hoping everyone can taste the hometown flavor here.”

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On Dianping, the store has a rating of 4.4 stars, with customer reviews polarized. Some say “visual effects are impressive,” and the taste is okay, but the value for money is not high. Others feel that dining with friends, it’s a decent casual meal with good value.

02

Will the market buy this time?

Jia Guolong said that opening this new store was an important reason—to take over the remaining stores and employees after Xibei’s closures.

He said, “The Xibei brand still needs to be maintained. In the future, some stores will close, some will be rebranded, and some core stores will remain.”

Looking back, Jia Guolong has tried launching new brands before. He previously opened “Jia Guolong Chinese Burger,” which expanded rapidly, aiming to do Chinese fast food, but eventually faded out of the market.

He also rebranded “Jia Guolong Small Pot Beef” into “Xibei Little Cow Braised Rice,” which also failed to establish a foothold.

Besides, Xibei has experimented with projects like super meat-filled steamed buns, crossing over into different categories multiple times, but most were either adjusted or discontinued.

It’s clear he has been trying and failing, yet he has not found a truly breakthrough path.

Public skepticism about him is also high. Many believe that his previous sub-brands were essentially failures, and now that Xibei is struggling, he’s opening new stores.

Objectively, Jia Guolong has had success—starting from a small restaurant in Huangtupo to building Xibei into a leading Northwest cuisine brand. He has shown talent and vision.

Now, with Xibei mired in development difficulties—shrinking stores, obstacles in exploration—doubts are mounting.

Most controversial is that Jia Guolong once confidently promised that “any employee who has to leave will receive full wages,” but this promise was ultimately not fulfilled.

This may be his biggest criticism, as employees are the foundation of a business. Breaking trust with “family” members damages the roots more than operational failures.

Around the Spring Festival, Xibei closed 102 stores in one go, affecting nearly 4,000 employees directly.

Layoffs and pay cuts followed.

Media reports say store managers and head chefs saw their salaries cut by up to 30%, with promises to pay back once stores turn profitable; headquarters staff were placed on standby.

Some employees received severance pay in installments, and some were forced to resign without compensation; triple wages during Spring Festival were not paid, and February wages were delayed until the end of March.

Those employees once called “family” are now filled with disappointment and anger on social media. The warmth and promises have both fallen short, severely damaging employee trust and tarnishing Xibei’s brand image.

Despite all this, Jia Guolong seems unwilling to give up.

He is pinning hopes on new brands, hoping to absorb the idle stores after Xibei’s closures and rehouse some laid-off employees, reducing the impact of store closures.

But whether this effort will succeed depends on how the market responds.