Origus

Origus, also known as Origus Pizza Buffet and by the Chinese name 好伦哥, is a Chinese restaurant brand operated by Beijing Origus Food & Beverage Ltd. The business is associated with a Western-style, self-service buffet concept centered on pizza and other buffet foods. Its name is often rendered in English as Origus, while the Chinese brand identity emphasizes the restaurant’s pizza self-service format. The company was founded in Beijing in 1998 by Mu Ji, with foreign investment used to establish the business. It developed during a period when Western-style fast food and casual dining were expanding in China’s major cities. Rather than operating primarily as a conventional table-service pizzeria, Origus built its identity around an all-you-can-eat or self-service restaurant model, offering customers access to a rotating buffet selection for a fixed per-person price. By February 2007, Origus had restaurants in Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Hangzhou, and Jinzhou, and it opened its first Lanzhou restaurant during that month. The expansion demonstrated a strategy focused on larger Chinese urban markets rather than an international rollout. In 2014, the chain was reported to have more than 100 restaurants, mainly in larger cities. That year, MUS Roosevelt Capital Partners invested an undisclosed amount in the company, providing an outside-capital milestone in Origus’s development. Origus also attracted public attention in 2007 when its per-person price increased from 39 yuan to 39.99 yuan. Around the same period, some Beijing customers reported receiving only one fen in change, an episode that became associated with the chain’s unusual pricing presentation and generated consumer discussion. The available reference material does not establish a broader regulatory finding or financial impact from the incident. The company’s headquarters have been identified as the Shang Office Building in Chaoyang District, Beijing. Earlier locations associated with its corporate offices included a building on Beiyuan Road and Wangjiao Plaza in Wangjing Subdistrict. Publicly available information in the supplied references provides limited detail about current ownership, senior management, financial performance, store count after 2014, or present-day operating status. Origus is therefore best characterized as a China-focused restaurant-chain brand whose documented historical footprint was concentrated in major mainland cities.

Origus is a Chinese Western-style buffet restaurant chain operated by Beijing Origus Food & Beverage Ltd. Its Chinese identity is associated with 好伦哥 and the phrase 好伦哥批萨自取, which describes a pizza-oriented self-service format. The chain is headquartered in Beijing’s Chaoyang District. The business was founded in 1998 by Mu Ji, with foreign investment used to launch the company. Its early development coincided with the growth of Western-style restaurant concepts in China. Origus differentiated itself through a buffet model rather than relying solely on conventional à la carte pizza service. Customers were offered a fixed-price self-service experience built around pizza and related Western-style foods. By February 2007, the chain had established restaurants in Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Hangzhou, and Jinzhou. In the same month it entered Lanzhou by opening its first restaurant there. This expansion indicates that Origus pursued a multi-city mainland Chinese strategy, with particular emphasis on large urban markets. The available sources do not provide a complete store-opening chronology or detailed information about franchising, supply-chain operations, or regional ownership arrangements. Origus became the subject of consumer discussion in March 2007 after its reported buffet price increased from 39 yuan per person to 39.99 yuan. Some Beijing customers reportedly received only one fen in change. The episode is documented as a pricing and customer-experience controversy, but the supplied material does not establish that it resulted in a formal lawsuit, regulatory action, or confirmed financial penalty. By 2014, Origus was reported to operate more than 100 restaurants, mainly in larger Chinese cities. That year, MUS Roosevelt Capital Partners invested an undisclosed amount in the company. No transaction value, ownership percentage, or subsequent governance changes are identified in the available references. The investment nevertheless marked an important financing event in the chain’s recorded corporate history. The company’s corporate offices have been associated with the Shang Office Building in Chaoyang District. Earlier office locations included a building on Beiyuan Road and Wangjiao Plaza in Wangjing Subdistrict. The supplied reference material contains little information about the brand’s later store network, current management, ownership, financial results, or present promotional activities. Accordingly, the documented history is strongest for Origus’s founding, its 2007 geographic and pricing developments, its reported scale in 2014, and the 2014 investment.

• 2014

  Chain reported to exceed 100 restaurants

  [1]Origusen.wikipedia.org

  Origus was reported to have more than 100 restaurants, concentrated in larger Chinese cities.

• 2014

  MUS Roosevelt Capital Partners invests in Origus

  [1]Origusen.wikipedia.org

  MUS Roosevelt Capital Partners made an investment of undisclosed size in the restaurant chain.

• 2007

  Origus expands to Lanzhou

  [1]Origusen.wikipedia.org

  The chain opened its first Lanzhou restaurant after establishing locations in several other Chinese cities.

• 2007

  Buffet price changes to 39.99 yuan

  [1]Origusen.wikipedia.org

  Origus reportedly increased its per-person price from 39 yuan to 39.99 yuan, prompting discussion over the small change returned to some customers.

• 1998

  Origus is founded in Beijing

  [1]Origusen.wikipedia.org

  Mu Ji founded the business, with foreign investment used to establish the company.

An urban Chinese Western-style buffet chain offering pizza-centered self-service dining at a fixed per-person price.

• Restaurant buffet

  Pizza buffet

  Origus’s principal offering is a fixed-price, self-service buffet centered on pizza. The concept presents pizza as part of a broader Western-style buffet experience rather than as a stand-alone delivery or takeaway product. The available references do not specify the full menu, recipes, serving schedule, or current availability.

• Prepared food

  Western-style buffet foods

  The chain is described as a Western-style buffet operator, implying a range of prepared foods served alongside its pizza-focused offering. Specific dishes and product formulations are not identified in the supplied reference material.

• 2014

  Outside investment from MUS Roosevelt Capital PartnersM&A

  Background

  Origus had reportedly grown to more than 100 restaurants, mainly in larger Chinese cities.

  Action taken

  MUS Roosevelt Capital Partners invested in Origus. The amount and detailed transaction terms were not disclosed in the supplied reference.

  Aftermath

  The investment is documented as a corporate-financing milestone. No subsequent ownership or operating changes are identified.

  Investment amount. (2014)

  Source

• 2007

  Increase of the per-person buffet price to 39.99 yuanPrice change

  Background

  Origus had reportedly charged 39 yuan per person before changing the price to 39.99 yuan.

  Action taken

  The chain adopted a 39.99-yuan per-person price. Some Beijing customers reportedly received one fen in change, which drew attention to the pricing format.

  Aftermath

  The available material records consumer discussion but does not document a formal enforcement action, lawsuit, or quantified financial consequence.

  Source

• 2014

  MUS Roosevelt Capital Partners invests in Origus[1]Origusen.wikipedia.org

  M&A

  MUS Roosevelt Capital Partners invested an undisclosed amount in Origus. The transaction was reported as an investment milestone, but the available reference does not specify the stake, valuation, or transaction structure.

• 2007

  Origus opens its first restaurant in Lanzhou[1]Origusen.wikipedia.org

  Other

  Origus expanded its documented geographic footprint by opening its first restaurant in Lanzhou, following operations in Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Hangzhou, and Jinzhou.

• 2007

  Origus raises its per-person buffet price to 39.99 yuan[1]Origusen.wikipedia.org

  Pricing

  The chain’s reported per-person price moved from 39 yuan to 39.99 yuan. The change drew attention because some Beijing customers said they received only one fen in change.

1. 1Origusen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Bad For You: Origus Pizza Buffetthebeijinger.com