A CHUBBY man holding a bottle of beer and grinning has become a recognizable logo among local residents as it stands for the city’s most popular crayfish restaurant, which was founded by Xu Song, a former Huawei employee.

According to Chinese media, Xu’s business has expanded rapidly from only one store in the Baishizhou area in Nanshan District to 17 stores citywide in addition to a popular take-away business.

The popularity of his restaurants recently helped Xu and his company obtain nearly 100 million yuan (US$15.28 million) in its first round of financing from venture capitals led by Tiantu Capital.

“Now I need to carry the pressure because the investment is not just for me. I either gain a larger success or I fail,” Xu said.

Xu had worked for telecom giant Huawei for four years.

“I did not want to lead a stable but boring life, so I decided to quit my job at Huawei and started my first business,” said Xu.

“I read books about the catering business and it didn’t seem hard if I could provide good food and service,” said Xu. He opened up a barbecue fish restaurant near his company.

He used good-quality oil, but this also meant his restaurant would have to charge higher prices. He even displayed bottles of the expensive cooking oil at the front of the restaurant. Xu’s first business did not last long, with over a million yuan in debt after four years.

Xu did not stop looking for opportunities. He noticed the booming market for crayfish when he returned to Hubei and he decided to open another restaurant, this time selling fried crayfish.

Xu named the restaurant after himself, calling it “Brother Song Fried Little Lobster.”

More than two years have passed and Xu’s business continues to expand. The take-away business for crayfish is taking over half of the crayfish market. His success eventually attracted the attention of venture capital investors. (Zhang Qian)