According to Chinese media (and brought to you via the JoongAng Ilbo), Pizza Hut has announced it is doing away with its self-serve salad bars at stores across China.
Chinese citizens, meanwhile, are not pleased.
Pizza Hut put out an official statement that the measure was to create a more expansive menu, but the belief is that move was due to losses resulting from increased use of the salad bar.
In Chinese cyberworld, rumors have been going round since March that Pizza Huts was removing their salad bars from shops in Shanghai and elsewhere in southern China. In China, it costs 32 yuan (about 5,400 won) to use the salad bar, and unlike in Korea, you can only use it once. Perhaps accordingly, Chinese have taken to building “salad towers” like you see below:
(Photo ripped off from JoongAng Ilbo, which took it from a Chinese newspaper that probably ripped it off some online forum/blog)
Apparently, such photos and posts have become quite popular in Chinese cyberland. Some netizens have even taken to posting construction techniques not dissimilar to building a house. Granted, if South Park has taught us anything, it’s that the Chinese have a talent for such things:
Anyway, a long story short, Chinese netizens think Pizza Hut is removing the salad bars because of the “salad towers,” Pizza Hut denies this, but one Pizza Hut official told a Beijing paper that the move was because of losses caused by the “salad towers.”
{ 16 comments… read them below or add one }
Actually, this was true in Korea as well at least as late as early 1990s. I built many a salad towers in my youth — that was the time when I was eating 9 full meals a day. Ah, memories.
A great example of how social issues remain the same, but how the Internet makes people (over)react to them.
where do the croutons go? it’s the only bit i liked in a pizza hut salad, croutons in dressing.
Based on that, how come in Korea the restaurants are not complaining about the same thing ? You’ll tell that they care more about the customers ? Maybe yes, but in Korea people also go crazy on the salad bar, and it can really impact the cost. I’ve seen “shrimp towers” in several places, to the point that one girl was literaly turning the whole shrimp bowl into her plate. Didn’t look right to me.
Pizza Hut restaurants are good. Hard to find them in the States these days though. Who goes to Pizza Hut for the salad anyway?
If Pizza Hut really did base their decision on the fact that there was a “salad tower” problem, then that means that lots of people were indeed building salad towers in Pizza Hut restaurants. Which is just sad.
Pizza Hut restaurants are good.
I beg to differ.
If Pizza Hut really did base their decision on the fact that there was a “salad tower” problem, then that means that lots of people were indeed building salad towers in Pizza Hut restaurants. Which is just sad.
What’s even sadder is the alarming number of morbidly obese diners at all-you-can-eat Chinese buffet joints here in the States. These folks are literally eating themselves to death.
I dunno, I like em. I’m a big fan of the Pizza Hut pan pizza. I’m not exactly sure what it’s made of – it looks like pizza, sorta tastes like pizza – but I find it delicious nonetheless.
I haven’t been to a Pizza Hut restaurant in like forever, but I do remember them being great. I remember the buffet, but I don’t remember there being any salad. I just remember it being dangerously overloaded with carbohydrates.
And speaking of the obese and generally sad people in the States, http://www.peopleofwalmart.com is a great site.
It is sad that there are so many morbidly obese people eating themselves to death, and while I’m usually no person to excuse individuals for their behavior, I do believe that to a large extent these people are victims of bad health and industrial policies over the past several decades.
Pizza Hut should just do as Mr. Pizza Factory and do away with the salad bars.
Some Pizza Huts are good. There are some franchisers who invest more money into their restaurants than others. Back home all the Pizza Huts in my area are owned by the same guy (like forty of them?). It wasn’t until I ate at some Huts outside of this guys’ sphere of pizza hut influence that I realized how nice I had it with PH back home. My point – it’s a case-by-case thing.
I have to second NetizenKim’s call about morbidly obese diners at Chinese buffets in the States. Judging by the number of servings consumed by some of these people, I honestly don’t understand how those places stay in business. Actually, my family is guilty as well since we pretty much eat only crab legs.
And, as for the ‘salad towers’ – how expensive are a bunch of cucumbers and carrots – since that’s just about all you can stack very effectively. Not many people are going to want to eat that many cucumbers in one sitting.
At least they weren’t forming Eiffel Towers at the salad bars.
“What’s even sadder is the alarming number of morbidly obese diners at all-you-can-eat Chinese buffet joints here in the States. These folks are literally eating themselves to death.”
word of advice for visitors; “even sadder” is now OUT at J.J. Mahoney’s.
Didn’t Krispy Kreme (in Korea) stop giving out free samples to people just standing in line because people would just come in, stand in line to get a free donut, then bugger off? I think they only give the free donut to those already at the counter as they are ordering something.
Salad towers is a very sad idea.
Saying that I also find the COSTCO ajumma phenomena ,here in Korea, of going nuts and making their own ‘salad’ in the food area thoroughly revolting. Hmm filling up a plate with hot dog condiments and eating that! Yummy, a ketchup, mustard, onion ‘salad’ sounds lovely;) OK it’s a free ‘meal’, but it must taste like shit. I’ve even seen women in COSTCO sneaking out with a big container of this culinary ‘delight’ in my local one!
Maybe I crave it when I’m visiting Korea but I find that the fast food there, including Pizza Hut, taste a lot better. Does anyone feel the same way?
I go to this Chinese buffet called “East” in Flushing, NY and the people are always fighting when lobster/crabs becomes available. Funny as shit. I’ve see two near brawls with ten or so customers running to get their share and trying to build lobster/crab towers on their plates.
Speaking of South Park and its portrayals of Asians… check out this episode of Japanese whalers!
http://ccinsider.comedycentral.com/2009/10/26/south-park-takes-on-japanese-whaling/
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