Zhang Yong, from Jianyang in Sichuan, China was a welder at a tractor factory, and was 19 years old before he had ever set foot in a restaurant. Despite this, just five years later he quit his job, and with help and funds from three friends (one of whom was to become his wife), set up his first restaurant. It had just four tables, was the very first Hai Di Lao and for much of the first year was where he slept, on a fold away bed.

It quickly gained a reputation for its spicy hot pot dishes and before long was the most successful one of its type in the city. Four years later in 1998 he opened a second (Lou Wai Lou), and from there the chain quickly expanded to what it is now – currently there are 466 Hai Di Lao restaurants in China predominantly, but also in Singapore, Japan, South Korea and the United States.

As well as the food, the restaurants are famous for their customer service, with queueing customers receiving free manicures. In 2010 the company opened a training school for restaurant managers, and in 2018 went public.