Uncle Fastfood

Uncle Fastfood, known in Chinese as 老娘舅 (Laoniangjiu), is a Chinese-style fast food chain based in Huzhou, Zhejiang Province, in the People's Republic of China. The brand was founded in 1998, and its first restaurant opened in Huzhou on 2 November 2000. It operates a network of more than 300 directly operated chain stores, positioning itself in the quick-service restaurant segment built around Chinese home-style meals rather than Western fast food formats. The company attracted outside investment in 2009, when it received funding from Shanghai Fosun Pingyao Investment Management Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of Fosun Pharma. This backing gave the chain additional capital as it expanded its directly operated store base across Zhejiang and neighbouring markets. In the 2020s the business encountered pressure from declining performance. According to available information, the company attempted an initial public offering twice — in 2023 and again in 2026 — but both attempts failed, reportedly in connection with the deterioration in its results. In July 2026, Uncle Fastfood began piloting a new format in Hangzhou: a self-service restaurant featuring freshly stir-fried dishes (现炒自选餐厅), a move that signals an effort to refresh its concept and respond to changing consumer preferences in China's fast-casual dining market. Uncle Fastfood competes in China's large and highly competitive Chinese fast food sector, where chains such as rice-and-dish and noodle specialists vie for urban diners. Its model has historically relied on company-owned stores rather than franchising, which gives it tighter control over quality and brand consistency but requires heavier capital investment. The brand's name, 老娘舅, is a colloquial Chinese term for a respected maternal uncle or trusted mediator, lending the chain a warm, home-style association that fits its positioning around everyday Chinese meals.

Uncle Fastfood (老娘舅) is a Chinese-style fast food chain founded in 1998. Its first restaurant opened on 2 November 2000 in Huzhou, Zhejiang Province, the city where the company is headquartered. From its base in Huzhou, the chain grew into a network of more than 300 directly operated stores, building its identity around Chinese home-style fast food. A significant development came in 2009, when the company received investment from Shanghai Fosun Pingyao Investment Management Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of Fosun Pharma. This injection of capital supported the expansion of the directly operated store network. By the 2020s, the chain's performance had weakened. According to available information, Uncle Fastfood attempted to go public twice, in 2023 and again in 2026, but both initial public offering attempts failed, reportedly linked to the decline in its business results. In July 2026, the company began piloting a new concept in Hangzhou: a self-service restaurant offering freshly stir-fried dishes, reflecting an effort to adapt its format to evolving consumer tastes in China's fast-casual dining market.

• 2026

  Second attempted initial public offering fails; in July, pilots a freshly stir-fried self-service restaurant in Hangzhou.

• 2023

  First attempted initial public offering fails amid declining performance.

• 2009

  Receives investment from Shanghai Fosun Pingyao Investment Management Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of Fosun Pharma.

• 2000

  First restaurant opens in Huzhou on 2 November.

• 1998

  Uncle Fastfood is founded.

Chinese-style fast food chain offering everyday home-style meals through directly operated restaurants.

• Chinese-style fast food meals

  Everyday home-style Chinese meals served in directly operated chain restaurants.

• Freshly stir-fried self-service restaurant format

  A new self-service concept piloted in Hangzhou in July 2026 featuring freshly stir-fried dishes.

1. 1Uncle Fastfood — Wikidatawikidata.org
2. 2老娘舅 (中式快餐) — 维基百科zh.wikipedia.org