Xibei Delays Paying Departing Staff Until 2028 — and the Internet Is Debating Why Companies Do This

One of China's best-known restaurant chains is under scrutiny after reports that it owes former employees money — 2025 year-end bonuses, severance pay, and buyback proceeds for former staff shares — with the company's owner reportedly saying the obligations could stretch into 2028. The story has become a trending topic on the Chinese internet, sparking a debate about labor obligations versus business cash pressure.

What was reported

According to reports about Xibei, several former employees said payments agreed earlier did not arrive on schedule. A proposed plan circulated in the coverage: 2025 year-end bonuses would be split into five installments of 20% each, completed by the end of 2026; outstanding severance would accrue interest at 8% per year from July 2026, with part of it paid in 2027 and the balance stretching into 2028. Founder Jia Guolong was quoted as saying the company simply does not have enough cash ready and that funds could be fully settled by 2028.

Why it's contentious

For departing workers, the scheme means waiting years for money that is already earned — and the changes came after agreements had been signed. Commenters on the Chinese internet frame this as a fundamental labor-relations question: when a company runs tight on cash, which obligations get protected first? Some defend the structured plan as honest communication compared to silence or dismissal. Others point out that a decade-old, still-profitable restaurant giant should not get to treat employees as interest-free lenders.

The caution

Both the exact figures and the legal position remain disputed, and the company's side has its own account of the agreements. What is not in dispute is the mood: in China's workplace culture, "pay people what they've already earned, on time" is a red line, and any story that reads like a deferral of that promise gets run through the internet's most-critical lens.

Related vocab: 牛马.