Chapter 1: Have You Ever Been to Haidilao? Meet the World's Best Service Magic Restaurant

Imagine you’re walking into a restaurant with your family for a weekend hot pot dinner[^2]. You’re already excited for the spicy broth and all your favorite veggies, but the first thing the hostess hands you isn’t just a pager that says “wait 20 minutes” — it’s a pack of animal-shaped stickers, a sour candy lollipop, and a little card that says “if you wait more than 30 minutes, you get a free scoop of vanilla ice cream”. While you wait, your little sister, who’s been begging to get her nails painted for weeks, sits down at a tiny manicure station, and a friendly staff member lets her pick sparkly pink polish with glitter on it. Your mom realizes she forgot to bring her phone charger, and the staff member hands her a universal charging cable right away, no questions asked. Your dad, who loves playing chess, spots a chessboard on the waiting area table and challenges a server to a quick game — and wins, too! When you finally get called to your table, the server who walks you over already knows your little sister’s name (she heard you call her when you were waiting), and hands her a small stuffed panda as a welcome gift. You sit down, and before you even open the menu, a warm hot towel is placed in front of you, and a server asks if you want lemon water or warm milk, since she noticed you’re holding a juice box that says “for kids”. You order your favorite beef slices and corn, and when the food comes, the server even helps you put the corn into the boiling broth, because she sees you’re struggling with the long spoon. Later, when you blow out the candles on your birthday cake (you told your parents you didn’t want to make a big deal out of it, but they brought a small cake anyway), the entire restaurant staff suddenly appears at your table, waving tambourines and wearing silly party hats, singing “Happy Birthday” at the top of their lungs. You blush so hard your ears turn red, but you can’t stop smiling.

【插图1-1：小朋友在海底捞等位区做美甲，手里攥着贴纸，脚边放着佩奇玩偶，旁边的服务员正递给她一杯柠檬水】

Is this a magic restaurant? Did someone cast a spell on all the staff to be extra nice? No — this is Haidilao, the Chinese hot pot chain that’s famous all over the world for its “magic service” that makes every single guest, from little kids to grandparents, feel like the most important person in the world. If you’ve never been to Haidilao before, this story might sound too good to be true. But ask anyone who’s ever eaten there, and they’ll tell you: every part of that story is real. I went to Haidilao for my 8th birthday last year, and I brought my favorite T-Rex stuffed animal with me, just like I take everywhere. I thought the server would tell me to put it in my bag, but instead, she asked if T-Rex wanted a seat at the table too! She went and got a tiny clean napkin, cut it into a little bib for T-Rex, drew a smiley face on his plate with ketchup, and even gave him a tiny cup of apple juice. I was so happy I took a picture of T-Rex sitting at the table and put it on my Instagram (with my mom’s help, of course), and it got more likes than any of my other posts!

Haidilao started in 1994 as a tiny restaurant with only 4 tables in a small city called Jianyang in China[^1]. The owner, a man named Zhang Yong, ran the restaurant with his wife, Shu Ping, and three friends. They served hot pot, cleaned the tables, and even washed the dishes themselves. Back then, they didn’t have any fancy “service rules” or “magic weapons” — they just wanted to be nice to their guests. If a guest had to wait for a table, they’d give them free tea and snacks. If a guest had a baby, they’d help them hold the baby while they ate. If a guest said they liked a certain dish, they’d give them a free portion to take home. Word spread fast about how nice the restaurant was, and more and more people came to eat. Today, Haidilao has more than 1,000 stores all over the world: over 700 in China, more than 50 in the United States, and stores in Singapore, the UK, South Korea, Japan, and more. Millions of people eat at Haidilao every year, and most of them say the service is even better than the food (and the food is really, really good!).

But have you ever wondered: why is Haidilao’s service so different from every other restaurant? Most restaurants just bring you your food, refill your water once or twice, and then leave you alone. If you ask for something extra, like an extra napkin or a different sauce, the server might sigh and roll their eyes, or tell you they have to ask the manager first, and it takes 10 minutes to get it. At Haidilao, it feels like the servers can read your mind. They bring you a hair tie before you even ask for one, they bring a wet wipe as soon as you spill a drop of sauce, and they even remember that you don’t like cilantro even if it’s your first time eating there.

If you’ve ever eaten at Haidilao, or if you’ve just heard stories about it, you’ve probably asked yourself three big questions. Let’s write them down here, because these are the three questions this whole book is going to answer!

<!-- 核心问题1：服务是否有固定套路 -->

Mystery 1: Is there a secret “service rulebook”?

The first question everyone asks is: do Haidilao’s servers follow a secret rulebook that tells them exactly what to do for every single guest? Is there a rule that says “if a guest has a stuffed animal, make it a small seat and draw a face on its plate”? Is there a rule that says “if a guest is wearing glasses and the hot pot steam fogs them up, hand them a lens cloth within 2 seconds”? Is there a rule that says “if a guest says it’s their birthday, get the whole staff to sing to them within 1 minute”? If there is a rulebook, does that mean all the “magic” is just following rules, and not actually being nice? And if there is a rulebook, why don’t other restaurants copy it? They could just write the same rules, train their staff to follow them, and have the same great service, right?

<!-- 核心问题2：其他餐厅为何难以复制 -->

Mystery 2: Why don’t other restaurants copy Haidilao’s rules?

Lots of other restaurants have tried to copy Haidilao’s service. A lot of hot pot places now give out free snacks and drinks for waiting guests, just like Haidilao does. Some even give out free manicures or foot massages for waiting guests. But none of them are famous for great service the way Haidilao is. If you go to one of those copycat restaurants, the server might hand you a bag of chips when you wait, but then they’ll ignore you for the rest of the meal. If you ask for an extra bowl, they’ll tell you they have to ask the manager first. If it’s your birthday, they’ll just say “happy birthday” and move on. So what’s different? If Haidilao’s rules are so great, why can’t other restaurants use them to be just as good?

<!-- 核心问题3：员工主动服务的内在动力 -->

Mystery 3: Why do Haidilao’s staff want to go the extra mile?

This is the biggest mystery of all. Think about it: most people who work as servers work hard because they have to, to get a good tip or to not get fired. If no one is watching, they’ll do the bare minimum: bring you your food, refill your water once, and then go stand in the back and scroll on their phone. At Haidilao, the staff are always running around, doing extra little things for guests even when it’s super busy. They’ll tie a napkin around your

They’ll tie a napkin around your baby brother’s neck before you even think to ask for one, and they’ll wipe the sauce off your little sister’s cheek the second she spills her lemonade. They do this even when the restaurant is so packed there are 50 people waiting in line outside, and even when they’ve been on their feet for 10 hours straight, carrying heavy trays of hot pot ingredients and running back and forth between tables. Most people would be tired, grumpy, and just want to sit down for 5 minutes to drink some water, but Haidilao staff still run to get you a pair of fuzzy socks if you say your feet are cold from waiting in line, or bring you a pack of wet wipes if you say your hands are sticky from e