In China, New Take Out Includes Waiter

In a city where even McDonald's delivers to your door, Beijing-based Haidilao has taken "take out" to a whole new level. Where Chinese take out often conjures images of white cardboard boxes, fried rice and chow mein, the experience provided by Haidilao is in a category all its own.

Haidilao, a chain of 53 restaurants specializing in hot pot meals, has taken China by storm. According to Louisa Lim, "Haidilao is more than just a restaurant; it's a modern Chinese institution. This popular hot pot restaurant feeds more than 10,000 Beijingers a night, with people willing to wait two hours for a table. The lines are so long that the restaurant gives out free Internet access, manicures and shoeshines."

So what is a hot pot? A divided pot (usually two, sometimes three chambers) with one section full of boiling Szechuan peppercorn-spiced oil and the other with creamy chicken broth. The soup and oil are kept hot, and raw meats and vegetables are cooked at the table on skewers - like fondue meets Mongolian grill. What exactly does Haidilao provide? Everything. The hot pot, the soup, the meat and vegetables -- even a trash can, which the delivery man drops off and picks up hours later per your request!

At roughly $10/head (including a $4 delivery fee) not only is this innovative experience convenient, it's incredibly inexpensive! Want a waiter in your home? Add another $10 and you'll have table-side service while you eat! Haidilao acknowledges that, for the cost, they don't make a profit by providing in-home hot pots - but that's ok with them, they are providing a one-of-a-kind experience that is helping them stay on the cutting edge of the industry.

Photos by Mykl Roventine and Sanfamedia.