21 August 2023 , 07:28
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An all-you-can-eat restaurant has racked up thousands of pounds worth of debt and been forced to close because diners ate so much food.
Chinese restaurant Jiamener was open for less than a month despite having more than 500 customers a day. The owner was offering a $25 loyalty card, which is about £19, for unlimited food for a month. The restaurant specialised in hot pot food, which is a traditional Chinese cooking method where food is prepared in a simmering pot of stock.
Unsurprisingly customers took full advantage of this incredible offer, and the restaurant was soon in more than $100,000 worth of debt. There are also reports loyalty card holders passed their cards onto family and friends. The restaurant, which is in the city if Chengdu in China, opened on June 1 and was forced to close after just two weeks.
Speaking to ABC News, the owners said they expected to lose some money but hoped it would help build the business through repeat customers. They also thought they would be able to lower the overall costs with suppliers if they were getting through more food. Chengdu is a huge city with a population of more than 10 million people. According to ABC, hot pot food is extremely popular in the city and it has more than 2,000 restaurants offering it.