The Star Restaurant Phenomenon: Is It All About the Face or the Noodles?

In recent times, the culinary world in China has been buzzing with a peculiar trend: the rise of celebrity-endorsed restaurants. This trend has been propelled by the likes of celebrities such as谢霆锋 (Xie Zhengqiong), a renowned singer and actor, and 潘玮柏 (Pan Weiwei), a popular singer and actor, who have been spotted enjoying multiple bowls of noodles at community eateries in Chengdu. Their visits, captured in viral videos, have led to a surge in foot traffic at these establishments. In Shanghai, actor 文章 (Wen Zhang) opened a Shaanxi-style noodle shop, “八号院儿” (Ba Hao Yuan'er), which quickly topped the list of popular Shaanxi cuisine restaurants. The queue outside the shop extended over 30 meters, and online services offering to queue on behalf of customers were being sold for prices ranging from 50 to 500 yuan.

The allure of these celebrity-backed restaurants seems like a windfall at first glance. However, a closer look reveals that this prosperity is not as easy to maintain. For instance, 文章 (Wen Zhang) himself has been seen serving tea and greeting customers at his restaurant, even placing an apology sign outside, reading, “We are still growing, please forgive any inconvenience.” Price disputes and queue-related disputes have also emerged. The signature oil-splashed noodles are priced at 32 yuan, with an average per-person cost of 76 yuan, which has been criticized by some customers for being “extremely low in value for money.” Others argue that in Shanghai, 32 yuan for a bowl of noodles is not expensive, while some patrons expressed dissatisfaction, having waited for over three and a half hours without even getting to taste the meat-filled buns and braised noodles.

The essence of good noodles lies in the freshness of the ingredients and the skillful preparation. The process involves kneading the dough, pulling it into strands, and then pouring hot oil over the spicy sauce, all of which must be done in the moment. The same principle applies to the restaurant business. According to data from the Narrow Gate Restaurant Eye platform, as of April 2026, the popular “Shang Shang Qian” brand has only one operating store nationwide, and actor 陈赫 (Chen He)'s “Xian He Zhuang” brand has only 16 operating stores. The decline of these celebrity-backed restaurants often stems from their over-reliance on celebrity IPs. They failed to lay a solid foundation and expanded recklessly, neglecting the industry's core aspects such as product quality and supply chain management.

The restaurant in question is described by customers as having hand-pulled noodles, not pre-made, with chefs who are experienced Shaanxi artisans. The essence of the restaurant business does not lie in the celebrity aura but in the quality of the food. Whether the restaurant can maintain its original intention and continue to use high-quality ingredients to retain customers after the celebrity spotlight fades is the real test. While celebrity IPs can bring a restaurant a surge of customers at the opening, it is ultimately the aroma of the noodles that determines the longevity of a restaurant.

The influx of customers is like hot oil freshly poured over noodles, sizzling and releasing a delightful aroma. However, the noodles themselves are what sustain the flavor. Similarly, in the world of celebrity-backed restaurants, the true sustenance lies in the quality of the food, not just the fame of the celebrities involved.