Image Source: AsiaOne
By now, you must have heard the news that the richest person in Singapore in 2019 is Zhang Yong, the founder of Hai Di Lao a.k.a. everyone’s favourite hotpot restaurant. What makes this all the more mind-boggling is that Haidilao’s founder was never the scion of some wealthy cosmopolitan family. According to Wikipedia, Zhang Yong was a rural Sichuanese, and worked in construction and manufacturing before opening a tiny little hotpot eatery. So… How on earth did Hai Di Lao turn into the standard Chinese destination for extravagant birthday celebrations and team-bonding dinners? And why are we so willing to pay crazy amounts of money — a typical Hai Di Lao bill is at least $50 per pax — to boil our own food!?
Source: AsiaOne