Xinjiekou’s Cheapest Snack Shop Sees Soaring Customers

A snack shop in Pingjia Alley of Nanjing’s Xinjiekou, which sells snacks at prices we once thought only existed in “memories” of the 90s, was discovered by netizens on December 2nd and has ever since become extremely popular. In the restaurant one can pay 1.5 yuan (US$0.24)for a bowl of wontons, 2.5 yuan (US$0.41) for noodles and 5.5 yuan (US$0.89) for fried rice. The snack shop, which lacks a identifying plaque or sign, is operated by a family. It is located in a house with two rooms and one living room on the first floor, covering over 50 square meters. Three tables are placed in one room for customers, while the other room is the shop owner’s bedroom, and a big table is placed in the small living room, with food materials piled onto it. The snack shop has been operated by Mr Zhang, aged 63, and his wife Lady Qin, 57, for 18 years. There used to be around a dozen customers every day before and the world was easy, said Lady Qin. However, after the shop suddenly became famous via the Internet, the restaurant has seen more than 100 customers every day. From 10:00 am till 3:00 pm, Lady Qin is kept busy in the kitchen and Mr Zhang never stops collecting money and serving meals. They both feel that the sudden popularity is a little bit too much for them to cope with.