Chapter 1: What Makes Haidilao So Special?

Hey there, hot pot lovers! Let’s pick up right where we left off. Remember the 7-year-old boy named Xiao Mi from the birthday surprise video? When the servers in red aprons jumped up to dance the viral “Subject Three” dance for him, he laughed so hard his chopsticks fell into his spicy soup pot. The servers didn’t just stop at the dance, though: they brought him a giant bowl of longevity noodles with a sunny-side-up egg on top, stuck an Ultraman sticker on his forehead, and gave him a free Ultraman figurine as a gift. Xiao Mi’s parents said he talked about that birthday for three whole weeks after.

Now, close your eyes for a second and think about your own restaurant experiences. Have you ever been to a place where the servers did something so nice it made your whole day? Maybe a server gave you a free ice cream when you finished your dinner, or helped you pick up your dropped toy without you asking, or even let you pet the restaurant’s cat when you were sad. Or maybe you’ve been to a restaurant where you had to call the server 5 times just to get a refill of your drink, and they still forgot to bring the extra napkins you asked for.

What makes the difference between those two kinds of restaurants? Today, we’re going to unlock the secret of one of the most famous restaurants in the world: Haidilao, the hot pot chain that people line up for hours to eat at, in more than 10 countries around the globe. You might have eaten there with your family, or seen videos of their crazy birthday surprises online. But have you ever wondered: what makes Haidilao’s service so special? Is it magic? Do the servers have superpowers?

Spoiler alert: they *do* have superpowers. But they’re not the kind that let you fly or turn invisible. They’re service superpowers, and the best part is, you can learn them too.

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The Three Core Service Superpowers of Haidilao

Over the next 15 chapters, we’re going to explore the three secret superpowers that make Haidilao’s service so famous around the world. We call them: 1. 🦻 Ear Superpower (The Power of Listening with Your Eyes): The ability to notice what you need *before you even say a word*. 2. ✋ Hand Superpower (The Power of Doing More Than Expected): The ability to do nice things you never even thought to ask for. 3. ❤️ Heart Superpower (The Power of True Kindness): The ability to treat every customer like a friend, not just a person paying for food.

These superpowers aren’t just for restaurant servers, though. By the end of this book, you’ll learn how to use them to make your friends, family, and even your teachers happier, too.

> 💡 Digital Edition Sidebar: Tap here to watch a 60-second clip of Haidilao servers surprising a group of kids with a bubble performance during their birthday party. You’ll see exactly how the three superpowers work in real life! > 📖 Print Edition Tip: Turn to the full-page illustrated map of a Haidilao restaurant at the back of this book. Can you spot 3 things the restaurant has that most other restaurants don’t? Circle them with a colored pencil!

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Quick Quiz: Test Your Haidilao Knowledge!

Before we dive into the superpowers, let’s see what you already know about Haidilao. Circle your answer to each question below. We’ll check your answers at the end of the chapter! 1. When you sit down at a Haidilao table, what is the first thing the server will bring you, even if you don’t ask? A. A menu B. A warm wet towel and a small bowl of free snacks C. A glass of water 2. If you drop your chopsticks on the floor at Haidilao, what will the server do? A. Laugh and tell you to be more careful B. Bring you a new pair of sanitized chopsticks right away, and pick up the food you dropped C. Tell you to go get a new pair from the utensil station yourself 3. What is the *most famous* part of Haidilao’s service? A. Their hot pot soup is the spiciest in the world B. Their servers always wear red aprons C. Their servers do surprising, nice things for customers that no other restaurant does

Got your answers? Great! We’ll come back to them at the end of the chapter to see how well you did.

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Superpower 1: 🦻 Ear Superpower (The Power of Listening with Your Eyes)

Let’s start with the first superpower: the Ear Superpower. No, Haidilao servers can’t actually read your mind. But they’re trained to notice tiny little clues that tell them what you need, even if you never say a single word. We call this “listening with your eyes” because most of the time, people give away what they need with their faces, their body language, and the little things they do, not just with their words.

Let’s look at some real examples of the Ear Superpower in action, from kids who have eaten at Haidilao:

• 10-year-old Linlin went to Haidilao with her parents last month. She ordered the extra-spicy soup base, and after three bites of her beef, her nose was running and her eyes were watering. She hadn’t said a word about the soup being too spicy, but the server who was refilling her water noticed. He walked over with a glass of ice water and a small bowl of plain yogurt (which helps cool down a spicy mouth) and said, “I saw you wiping your nose a lot, little one. Is the soup too spicy for you? I can bring you a free non-spicy dipping sauce if you want.” Linlin was so surprised she nodded for a full 10 seconds before she could say thank you.
• 9-year-old Hao Hao brought his Nintendo Switch to Haidilao last week because he knew he would have to wait 20 minutes for a table. He was sitting in the waiting area, and his Switch was almost dead. He hadn’t asked anyone for a charger, but a server walking by noticed the low battery icon on his screen. She came back two minutes later with a free charging cable, and even a free waterproof phone case (so his Switch wouldn’t get damaged if he spilled any soup on it later). Hao Hao said that was the best part of his whole trip to the restaurant.
• Last month, a family brought their 80-year-old grandma to Haidilao for her birthday. Grandma had a bad back, so she was wincing a little when she sat down on the hard restaurant chair. She didn’t say anything about it, but the server who seated them noticed. He walked away and came back 30 seconds later with a soft, fluffy cushion to put on her chair. “My grandma has a bad back too,” he said with a smile. “This will make her more comfortable.” The family said they’d never had a server do that for them before.

See the pattern here? None of these kids asked for any of these things. The servers just noticed small, tiny clues, and acted on them before the customers even had to ask.

How Does the Ear Superpower Work?

You might be wondering: how do Haidilao servers learn to notice all these little clues? It’s not magic! It’s all part of their training. When new servers start working at Haidilao, they don’t just learn how to carry trays or take orders. They learn how to *watch* customers. Their trainers teach them to look for small signs:

• If a customer keeps wiping their nose, they might be too cold, or the soup is too spicy.
• If a customer keeps looking at the door, they might be waiting for someone else to arrive.
• If a customer has a baby with them, they’ll need a baby chair, a bib, and baby-safe food (no spicy soup for the little one!).
• If a customer is alone and playing with their phone, they might want a little stuffed animal to sit across from them so they don’t feel lonely.

Haidilao even has a special rule for servers: if you see a customer who looks like they need something, you *must* go ask if they need help, even if you’re not their assigned server. Most other restaurants make servers only take care of the customers at their own tables, but at Haidilao, any server can help any customer, no matter who is supposed to be serving them.

> 💡 Digital Edition Sidebar: Tap here to watch a 2-minute training video for new Haidilao servers, where they practice spotting custome