Tao Su officially opened Zhangliang Malatang restaurant last Friday after a soft opening the day before.
He has got seven employees, but it has been so busy he is planning to hire more to cope with demand.
The restaurant, which is on the ground floor of Stratton House, between Beach St and Cow Ln, is the first Zhangliang Malatang franchise to open in the South Island.
The global brand, which originated in Harbin, China, has expanded to more than 6000 outlets in 20 countries in 18 years.
Su says customers choose their ingredients from a refrigerated display, pay for them by weight, then choose a soup base and spice level.
The whole lot is cooked in the kitchen before being served up in a bowl.
The brand is aimed at younger people, who are increasingly demanding low-calorie, vegetable-rich food options, he says.
He had been thinking about opening a Zhangliang Malatang outlet in Queenstown since visiting one in Sydney a couple of years ago.
It was "super-busy with a lot of tourists and young people".
He chose a franchise because it is his first foray into hospitality — the manager of one of the brand’s 17 restaurants in Sydney came over to help him set it up.
It is not Su’s first business though — he also owns the Asian Mart superette in Shotover St and the New Star Asian Supermarket at Frankton’s The Landing.
