Mei Jie Group Founder Chen Jianrong: Choose the right category for rice fast food and focus on "value for money"

The current rice fast-food industry is trapped in multiple dilemmas such as severe homogenization, high costs, and declining consumer frequency. The traditional model has become ineffective, and the industry urgently needs new paths for breakthroughs.

On March 24, the 2026 China Catering Industry Festival and the 35th HCC Global Catering Industry Expo, co-hosted by the World Federation of Chinese Catering Industry and Hongcan Network, opened at the Hangzhou International Expo Center. At the “2026 China Snack Fast Food Development Forum,” Chen Jianrong, founder of Weijie Group, shared his thoughts on how rice fast food can find breakthroughs, using Yuba Liang Chongqing Chicken Pot as an example.

△ Chen Jianrong, founder of Weijie Group

In Chen Jianrong’s view, the ability of Yuba Liang Chongqing Chicken Pot to open 600 stores in three years and become the top in growth for rice fast food in Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Shanghai is built on three key choices:

Firstly, selecting the right category. Chicken pot has the genes of a hit product, and this category has experienced decades of long-term growth, making it a timeless choice.

Secondly, focusing on product value rather than cost performance. For example, Yuba Liang’s chicken pot rice is priced at 19 yuan, offering 330 grams of premium chicken and 70 grams of ingredients. The dish is served directly in an iron pot and aims for a “one boil tops three freshness,” targeting the spicy flavor to attract the main customer group aged 20-40. Additionally, they promote “unlimited rice, free side dishes, and unlimited drinks” at the storefront, allowing customers to eat well for just 19 yuan.

Lastly, creating a clear profit model, also known as “small store with high efficiency.” Yuba Liang Chongqing Chicken Pot abandons the blind expansion thinking of large stores and instead adopts a refined location strategy, determining investment models based on factors such as rental levels, labor costs, takeout penetration rates, and dine-in demand in different city tiers, ultimately focusing on compact stores of 50-80 square meters.

Chen Jianrong concluded, “The disruptor in the catering industry is never a ‘specialist’ breaking through at a single point, but rather an ‘all-rounder’ who can build barriers in multiple dimensions. Only by being comprehensively competent can one stand firm and succeed in competition.”

Author: Hongcan Editorial Team