One of Shanghai's most popular restaurants has gone south. A branch of the famous Little South Country abruptly closed last week, due to an apparent business dispute, leaving diners confused and hungry for its signature pork leg braised in soy sauce.
Instead of being greeted by a line of female attendants dressed in identical uniforms at the door last Monday night, potential customers saw two rival gangs getting ready to fight, some armed with metal pipes. Scores of police officers came to the scene, while a crowd of at least 100 watched.
The brawl reportedly arose from a disagreement between investors over their stakes in the restaurant branch, sandwiched between the Shanghai Centre/Portman Ritz-Carlton complex and the Foreign Affairs Office on Nanjing Road.
Taiwan's United Daily News said a woman who worked for the restaurant - and is related to a high-level government official - was trying to take control of the operation. When the owners refused, she sent thugs to beat up employees.
Last week, a police car was parked outside the now-closed restaurant. Police tape sealed off the entrance; several men guarded the driveway.
The branch had profited in its prime location, pulling in tourists and office workers from nearby. Reservations were needed and long waits were common at the multi-storey restaurant, always packed with people dining on Shanghainese food.
