From Danwei's Joel Martinsen, the fast rise, brief life and untimely demise of the tujia shaobing craze:
A survey undertaken by the Mirror evening newspaper found that the market for Tujia shaobing - the so-called "Chinese Pizza" - is saturated, leading to the closure of 500 outlets in Beijing.

Franchises like the one pictured here arose in Hubei one year ago, and spread across the country. The Mirror article traces their development in Beijing:

  • November, 2005: Tujia shaobing outlets gradually appear on the Beijing market; for the first month or so there is no news.
  • After New Years, 2006: A sudden explosion, with frequent lines in front of shops.
  • February-March 2006: Diaozha bing opens stores in Beijing at a frantic pace, reaching a concentration of four or five within one kilometer.
  • Late April, 2006: Many diaozha bing shops change format or close down.
Alas. Bring back nuclear beef buns, I say.

Related: My post from earlier this week on multiplying snack shops.