339,000! Hotpot restaurant claims to share four days of profit during the Spring Festival with employees. Owner: Last year, closed two stores, but Spring Festival benefits must continue.

“¥339,000 profit, distributed to over 140 employees across 6 stores. The store manager with the most received ¥14,860, the server with the most received ¥4,865, and the cleaning staff member with the least received ¥1,447.”

Sichuan Suining Qili Chuan Hotpot Restaurant states that this is a special employee benefit for the 2026 Spring Festival—distributing all profits from New Year’s Eve, the first, second, and third days to employees.

This is the fourth consecutive year that the hotpot restaurant has implemented this employee benefit model.

Compared to last year’s Spring Festival, when profits from New Year’s Eve, the first, and second days were shared with employees, this year includes an additional day of profit. Additionally, last year’s profits from 8 stores over 3 days totaled 532,000 yuan, whereas this year, 6 stores over 4 days earned 339,000 yuan.

Huang Houmings, owner of Qili Chuan Hotpot, told Red Star News that business was tough last year, leading to the closure of two stores, but they still insisted on this Spring Festival benefit.

“Sharing the profits from a few days during the Spring Festival with employees is meant as a little compensation,” Huang said. Before starting his own business, he worked as a hotpot server and food runner for four years, and as an apprentice for two, so he understands the hardships faced by frontline staff. During the Spring Festival, when employees can’t reunite with their families and are busier and more exhausted, he had the idea to “share some of the profits.”

Huang Houmings distributes bonuses to employees

Owner states that the 4-day Spring Festival profit was 339,000 yuan

Distributed to over 140 employees

Huang told Red Star News that this year’s Spring Festival revenue for New Year’s Eve, the first, second, and third days was 1,006,434 yuan. After deducting costs, the profit was 338,799 yuan. To simplify distribution, he rounded it up to 339,000 yuan.

Of this, only the food costs for New Year’s Eve and the first day were considered; the costs for the second and third days included both food and labor wages.

Huang explained that according to store rules, New Year’s Eve and the first day are supposed to be holidays, and if the store doesn’t operate, it closes. Therefore, only food costs were calculated for those days. For the second and third days, only wages were considered, without including rent or utilities.

This is the fourth year that Qili Chuan Hotpot has shared profits during the Spring Festival. Huang said he has worked as a food runner, server, and apprentice in the hotpot industry, and deeply understands the hardships of frontline employees. In 2008, he started his business in a small town in An Yue County, Sichuan, with only two employees, serving as both owner and chef.

As business gradually improved, he hoped to increase employees’ income. During the 2025 Spring Festival, employee Chen Yan told Red Star News that Qili Chuan offers relatively high wages in the industry, with all standard benefits, including a “filial piety bonus,” and that the boss is generous, making the staff more stable, with many long-term employees.

Huang Houmings told Red Star News that over the past year, the store’s benefits remained unchanged. This year’s bonus was more than last year’s, partly because of the extra day of profit sharing, as a way to give employees more compensation.

“They can’t reunite with their families, and during the Spring Festival, they are busier and more exhausted—that’s what they deserve,” Huang said. He has been a hotpot owner for over ten years and has never taken a break during the Spring Festival. In recent years, he has shared profits from a few days during the holiday with employees, and he has also helped out in the busiest stores with chores, food delivery, and cleaning.

But this year, during the Spring Festival, he was “sent back home” by his employees and finally reunited with his family on New Year’s Eve and the first day.

However, he returned to the store on the second day and immediately started helping with chores again. He said the employees have been working very hard, averaging over 100 tables a day, with only about 20 staff per store, constantly working at high intensity.

Last year, two stores were closed

More than 20 employees were reassigned

Huang explained that among the 6 stores, revenue varies, so the amount each employee received differed significantly.

Last year, although profits were shared over only 3 days, the total was over 500,000 yuan, more than 100,000 yuan higher than this year. The reason is that this year, only 6 stores operated, and they offered more discounts to customers, including more free snacks and dishes. “Good employees, good customers, better business,” Huang said.

Huang told Red Star News that last year, business was difficult, with some stores facing high rent and other costs, resulting in losses, leading to the closure of two stores.

“But all employees were properly reassigned,” Huang said. Of the 20+ employees from the closed stores, some chose to stay, and he transferred some to other stores, while about ten were arranged to work at his own hotpot base factory.

He added that the hotpot base factory was invested in in 2024 and began production in April 2025, currently employing over 40 staff.

Regarding employee benefits improvements, Huang said he is striving to implement a two-day weekend for store employees this year. His base factory employees already have two days off per week, but the hotpot stores traditionally only have four to five days off per month. He hopes to “find a way to solve this issue” this year.

Red Star News reporter Yang Ling, photo courtesy of interviewee

Editor: Guo Yu

Reviewer: Guan Li