Country Style Cooking

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A Chinese fast-food restaurant chain known for affordable meals influenced by Sichuan cuisine.

Last updated October 12, 2026

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Overview

Country Style Cooking Restaurant Chain Co., Ltd., doing business as Country Style Cooking or CSC (simplified Chinese: 乡村基), is a Chinese fast-food restaurant chain incorporated in the Cayman Islands and headquartered in Yubei District, Chongqing Municipality. The chain was established on 23 November 1996 by Li Hong and Zhang Xingqiang in Chongqing, originally under the name 乡村鸡. It is one of China's best-known direct-operated Chinese fast-food groups, built around the concept of freshly cooked Sichuan cuisine served quickly and at accessible prices. The company's first and flagship brand, Country Style Cooking, is described by the company as an interpretation of Sichuan cuisine — China's most popular cuisine — on the modern fast-food stage. Founder Li Hong is a formally trained Sichuan chef, and the brand insists on wok-cooked, made-to-order dishes using carefully selected ingredients, offering classic Sichuan flavors that blend numbing, spicy, sour, sweet, fresh and fragrant notes. The company has long pursued a "tasty but not expensive" (好吃不贵) operating philosophy, positioning Country Style Cooking as an everyday dining choice for the general public. According to a Frost & Sullivan consumer survey cited by the company, Country Style Cooking ranked first in top-of-mind brand awareness among Chinese fast-food restaurant brands in Southwest China, and in 2020 it was rated by Alipay as the most popular Chinese fast-food brand among young people. In 2011 the group launched a second brand, Mr. Rice (大米先生), designed to offer a new way of enjoying fast food and to satisfy varied customer tastes. Mr. Rice uses quality ingredients cooked to order in popular local styles such as Hunan, Jiangsu-Zhejiang and Guangdong flavors, and introduced a pay-by-weight model (称菜) and a small-bowl dish (小碗菜) format that give customers more choice within a limited budget. Starting from central business districts in major cities, Mr. Rice expanded nationwide, entering Shanghai in June 2020 and quickly topping popular-restaurant rankings in several Shanghai districts on Dianping. According to Frost & Sullivan, Mr. Rice ranked first among Chinese fast-food brands in Central China, and between January 2019 and December 2021 it was the fastest-growing brand among China's top five direct-operated Chinese fast-food groups by chain restaurant count, with growth of 114.2%. The group operates a large direct-operated restaurant network. According to the company, the combined number of Country Style Cooking and Mr. Rice restaurants grew from 638 as of 1 January 2019 to more than 2,000 as of 1 November 2025, with more than 1,000 Country Style Cooking restaurants and more than 1,000 Mr. Rice restaurants nationwide. The chain was historically notable as the only restaurant chain headquartered in Asia with a listing on the New York Stock Exchange; it later delisted and was taken private. The company remains headquartered in Chongqing and continues to expand its dual-brand fast-food model across China.

History

Country Style Cooking was established in 1996 and originally operated under the Chinese name 乡村鸡. The company built its business as a Chinese quick-service restaurant operator, emphasizing meals that could be prepared and served rapidly while retaining flavors associated with Sichuan and neighboring western Chinese cuisines. The chain’s initial growth was centered on Chongqing. By January 2008, it had nine restaurants, indicating an established but still relatively compact regional network. During the following years, CSC expanded across Chongqing Municipality and into Sichuan, Guizhou, Hunan, Shaanxi, and Yunnan. This expansion gave the company a footprint across several western and central Chinese markets rather than concentrating exclusively on the major coastal commercial centers. By 2013, the chain was reported to have approximately 250 restaurants and to be the largest fast-food restaurant brand in Chongqing Municipality. The same historical account described it as the only restaurant chain headquartered in Asia with a New York Stock Exchange listing at that time. The listing gave a regionally focused Chinese restaurant company visibility in international capital markets, although the company’s shares were subsequently delisted. The available material does not provide sufficient information to establish the precise reasons or date of the delisting. Operationally, CSC used a standardized quick-service model. Its restaurants incorporated Sichuan culinary elements and were designed to serve customers quickly; the reported preparation time was approximately 60 seconds from ordering. A typical restaurant employed about 20 people as of 2015. These characteristics indicate an emphasis on throughput, labor standardization, and repeatable menu execution rather than extended table service. The chain continued to expand during the early 2010s. By September 2014, the reported number of restaurants had risen to 332. A 2014 observation from James Roy of China Market Research Group characterized the company as particularly strong in western China. This regional strength was central to its identity: CSC offered a scalable Chinese fast-food proposition while adapting its menu and flavor profile to local consumer preferences. The reference material does not document the company’s founder, later ownership, post-delisting corporate structure, or current restaurant count. It therefore supports a detailed account of the brand’s historical growth but not a definitive conclusion about whether the brand remains active today.

2015
Quick-service operating model documented
[1]Country Style Cooking - Wikipediaen.wikipedia.org
Historical operating information described Sichuan-influenced menus, approximately 20 employees per restaurant, and meal preparation in about 60 seconds.
2014
Network reaches 332 restaurants
[1]Country Style Cooking - Wikipediaen.wikipedia.org
As of September 2014, the reported restaurant count had grown to 332.
2013
Regional network reaches approximately 250 restaurants
[1]Country Style Cooking - Wikipediaen.wikipedia.org
The chain was reported to operate about 250 restaurants across Chongqing, Sichuan, Guizhou, Hunan, Shaanxi, and Yunnan, and was described as Chongqing’s largest fast-food brand.
2008
Nine-restaurant network reported
[1]Country Style Cooking - Wikipediaen.wikipedia.org
By January 2008, Country Style Cooking had nine restaurants.
1996
Company established
[1]Country Style Cooking - Wikipediaen.wikipedia.org
The restaurant chain was established under its original Chinese name, 乡村鸡.

Products and positioning

Affordable, fast Chinese food with Sichuan-influenced flavors, focused historically on western Chinese markets.

Fast food · 1996
Chinese fast-food meals
The chain’s core offer consisted of prepared Chinese meals served through a quick-service format. The concept emphasized affordability, standardized preparation, and rapid counter service rather than extended dining. Menu items incorporated regional flavor preferences, particularly influences associated with Sichuan cuisine.
Chinese fast food
Rice-based set meals
Rice meals and combination plates formed part of the brand’s practical, everyday food proposition. These meals were suited to fast preparation and served as a familiar basis for a scalable Chinese restaurant menu. Specific recipes and current availability are not documented in the cited material.
Chinese fast food
Noodles
Noodle dishes were identified as part of the chain’s typical product range. They complemented rice-based meals and supported the brand’s positioning as a broadly accessible Chinese fast-food operator rather than a single-product specialist.

Controversies

2022
Source

2013
Expansion across western Chinese provincesStrategy
Background
By 2013, the brand had established a substantial base in Chongqing and surrounding markets.
Action taken
Country Style Cooking expanded its restaurant network across Chongqing, Sichuan, Guizhou, Hunan, Shaanxi, and Yunnan.
Aftermath
The chain was reported to have approximately 250 restaurants and to be the largest fast-food brand in Chongqing.
Source
1996
Adoption of a regional Chinese quick-service modelStrategy
Background
The company was established as a Chinese fast-food chain rather than a full-service restaurant operator.
Action taken
It developed a standardized, rapid-service format centered on Chinese meals and regional flavor preferences.
Aftermath
The model supported expansion from Chongqing into several western and central Chinese provinces.
Source

Recent events

2022-01-25
Xiangcunji files for a Hong Kong listing[9]乡村基递交港股上市申请blog.eastmoney.com
Xiangcunji Fast Food Chain Holdings formally submitted a prospectus to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange on January 25.

Sources9 sources

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