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Posts: 511

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Q: An Accidental Opportunity

So I started to rent a property in China, It's a small basement bar that I use for a "man cave" for myself. A place I can go just to chill and be my WFOE for visa purposes. It's fully legit and only open on the weekends. So after hanging out, drinking, and cooking food at the bar I had an idea. ...

 

My wife would make baozi (meat buns) all the time at home, Usually with pork and cabbage ect, the regular old thing. So I told her to put the same stuff that is in a big mac, but in a baozi bun, some beef and lettuce and thousand island dressing and little-diced onions. They turn out great, taste like little big macs. 

 

So I bought a used food cart and set in front of my bar at night and sell these things, I also sell just regular hamburger baozi, with beef, onions, ketchup, mustard, relish. Also hotdog on a stick, they are kind of like "pogos" you can in north america, Just a hotdog on a  stick dipped in pancake batter and deep fried. And in the past month, i can't keep up making these things. We had to hire someone to watch the cart and serve people while my wife makes these in the "kitchen" in the bar.

 

So now my fucking man cave in basically a kitchen for my wife and little Lu who runs the cart. It's getting to be a full time job .And more people are coming to the bar now to drink. My wife enjoys it and she wants to keep it going. I might have to hire someone to watch the bar and have it open all week nights. People have been questioning why the bar is not open on week nights. Before I was the bartender, but no one would show up but a few friends and family for some drink and KTV. Now it's basically a real bar. I never planned on making money, now im breaking even with all my expense.

 

So i'm off to find another man cave....At least my wife is having fun at the one I have now....I mean I am grateful its doing well. ....it was just not the purpose of it.

6 years 31 weeks ago in  Food  - China

 
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I've thought all along that China's will jump at most any laowai biz..... look, they are bored with the same ol' shit, they fancy all things Western, and their sheer numbers indicate most any bar/restaurant would pull in a decent # of patrons.  (provided it meets the minimums,,, location, product, uniqueness (in their eyes)).

ambivalentmace:

I do miss the neighborhood pub or bar for a drink before going home for dinner, just not a cultural thing in smaller cities and in large cities just a few locations.

 

I also miss the morning social time, my trade workers would meet and have a big breakfast meal before work and I would join them minus the suit and tie, than after five drinks with the office workers before dinner. I actually can't remember the last time I had a drink socially after work.

6 years 31 weeks ago
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biggj123:

It's true, especially if they see a laowai doing it, its the busiest when im outside sitting at the little table next to the cart. I notice people will come up to see what im doing an then often try one themselves. If you want to promote a business just have a handsome, friendly looking white guy stand around and smile at people and make cheap conversation in broken Chinese. Seems to work lol

6 years 31 weeks ago
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6 years 31 weeks ago
 
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Posts: 4495

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I've thought all along that China's will jump at most any laowai biz..... look, they are bored with the same ol' shit, they fancy all things Western, and their sheer numbers indicate most any bar/restaurant would pull in a decent # of patrons.  (provided it meets the minimums,,, location, product, uniqueness (in their eyes)).

ambivalentmace:

I do miss the neighborhood pub or bar for a drink before going home for dinner, just not a cultural thing in smaller cities and in large cities just a few locations.

 

I also miss the morning social time, my trade workers would meet and have a big breakfast meal before work and I would join them minus the suit and tie, than after five drinks with the office workers before dinner. I actually can't remember the last time I had a drink socially after work.

6 years 31 weeks ago
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biggj123:

It's true, especially if they see a laowai doing it, its the busiest when im outside sitting at the little table next to the cart. I notice people will come up to see what im doing an then often try one themselves. If you want to promote a business just have a handsome, friendly looking white guy stand around and smile at people and make cheap conversation in broken Chinese. Seems to work lol

6 years 31 weeks ago
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6 years 31 weeks ago
 
Posts: 7178

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I suspect the OP is on a spouse visa and has a local 200rmb business license in his wifes name.

I am constantly amazed at how many westerners I meet that consider themselves legal on a spouse or business visa.

It would be good if the OP could explain how to create a WOFE to open and run a bar.

biggj123:

Im not on a marriage visa, my wife's uncle is big in real estate business in the city im in, as a favor to my wife he set everything up. All I did was pick the spot I wanted and he took care of everything. What he did was he got his people set up the company with all the proper license in someone else's name. After everything is setup, I "buy" the company from him. everything is put in my name with the proper licensing.Got my papers framed up on the wall behind the bar.100% legit. All I had to do was pick the spot and he got his team to do the rest. There is a bit more to it than that, but that is the premise of it. From start to finish it took 2 weeks. If I did this on my own it would have been 6 months to a year at least I assume with red tape up the ass...He even took care of my visa/residency permit. 

.Now, next time I can do my own visa.

6 years 31 weeks ago
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biggj123:

Although...maybe the food cart is not really legal,...but who cares. Im sure all the people selling shit in carts on my street is not legal either. 

The reason for all this was so I could get a work visa and be legal. As the owner of the company,(I dont own the building or shop, just rent) But the company on paper is all that has to be kept up, and when move locations I just need to have the new place checked by the department of whateverthefuck i9n china and im all set, but im keeping this shop I think, the rent is cheap and when I go back to my own country i might just keep it going....but thats 2 years from now...so ill see.

6 years 31 weeks ago
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biggj123:

My first thought was to open an English school and just use that as a club house. Then talking to my uncle he said its harder and are more restrictions on that, and i could not own it 100%. But a bar was easy for him to set up. The alcohol permit is the tricky things but its easy for my uncle to get the paper work with that little red stamp on it. I have to buy my liquor from a seller that is allowed to sell to bars. The rest he says is easy. It has to check by the Chinese version of health and safety. i can sell food in the bar...but from a cart on the street..im not sure...no one has said anything yet...

6 years 31 weeks ago
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ScotsAlan:

Did you get an A B or C biggie?

6 years 31 weeks ago
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biggj123:

I did this a few months ago and just got a regular Z residency permit in my passport. Next time I will have to get this, at the time Jiangxi province had not started using that system.I think I would be a B...for sure a C. I did the points test thing and fingered I would be a B...but it was close. So ill find out next year.

...or whenever they tell me to change it.

6 years 31 weeks ago
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Marcos_Cisneros:

Biggj, not withstanding ScotsAlan's comments, as follows, please.

 

 You should and you will have a visit eventually from the local police.  It is normal.  You just need to display your business license on the wall somewhere in the restaurant.  Additionally if you can sense that they are coming, and frankly they are obvious, please ensure that there are no basic hygiene violations, which is their other catch all.  Additionally, make sure all of your local taxes are up to date, one way or the other and you have receipt to show same.  In your little bar and resto, also be on the lookout for night ladies and rent boys, because they often figure in on a Chinese police sting.  Keep your licenses in order, that will be the concern of the local police, keep your place clean, by Chinese standards, again the concern of the local police, and make sure you know whom your clients are.  Personally, I wish you great success and the one thing that you should know about China is that success breeds success.  In another words, if your business slows, do as the Chinese do and go hire 10 - 15 locals to eat and drink and hang around the place to make noise, just to show the other locals that you are doing well.   

And contrary to what ScotsAlan may or may not have written, the local police generally do not intervene in PSB immigration matters.  They are two distinct divisions.  The local police may ask you for your passport to check validity of passport and expirty date of visa but they generally will not question the actual visa itself -- that is something that the Entry and Exit people at the PSB will do.  Also, keep your local house registration and local alien registration up to date on a yearly basis.  Good sailing to you...

6 years 31 weeks ago
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6 years 31 weeks ago
 
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Haha, nice one dude.

 

You should recruit a few foreign faces and set up franchises

biggj123:

I'll call them " Big's Laowai buns"

....I should rent a stall at the big night market here, that would get a lot of foot traffic. The place im at now is pretty much skankville...but those are usually the most fun places to be. Low crime and cheap food and lots of little shops and bars and restaurants around.

6 years 31 weeks ago
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