Micun Bibimbap recruits partners: brand to run stores as expansion targets county towns

Micun Bibimbap has reopened partner-led store expansion. According to a Hongcan report republished by a financial news account on 20 September, the brand announced the launch of partner recruitment on 17 September. The arrangement draws a clear distinction between store operations and expansion: the brand is responsible for investment, fit-out and operational management, while partners handle store expansion and related consultancy services, without taking part in day-to-day management.

Brand runs stores, partners handle expansion

According to the report, ingredients and supplies for stores under the scheme will be centrally procured and distributed through the brand’s supply chain. Alongside investment, fit-out and daily management, these core operational responsibilities sit with the brand.

Prospective participants should not assume that the description ‘reopening franchising’ tells them how the arrangement works. The partner responsibilities disclosed so far focus on expansion and consultancy, rather than running stores themselves. When assessing the opportunity, applicants should check each practical responsibility against the terms of the contract.

Two 30% figures, calculated on different bases

Under the financial arrangements, partners must pay a performance deposit as specified in the agreement, normally calculated at 30% of the total cost of opening a single store. In return for their consultancy services, partners can receive a fee equivalent to 30% of the store’s distributable profit for the relevant period.

These percentages apply to different figures — opening costs and distributable profit — and should not be confused. The report does not describe the consultancy fee as a fixed return, nor does it provide a basis for calculating a payback period.

Loss carry-forwards also warrant attention: store losses are included in cumulative distributable profit and carried forward into subsequent months. No distribution is accrued when cumulative profit is zero or negative. Assessing potential earnings therefore requires more than looking at one month’s trading performance; prospective partners also need to understand how cumulative profit is calculated.

Recruitment focuses largely on county towns

This recruitment round covers selected areas in provincial-level jurisdictions including Beijing, Shanghai, Hebei, Henan, Heilongjiang, Jiangsu and Zhejiang. It also includes specialist locations such as airports, high-speed railway stations, universities, hospitals and tourist attractions. The report notes that most recruitment areas are county towns, indicating a push into China’s smaller urban markets.

This does not mean that every area within the named provinces and cities is open to partnership. Prospective partners still need to confirm whether a particular territory, site or location category is eligible, rather than judging an opportunity solely from the list of provinces and cities.

Recruitment resumes after an expansion pause

According to the report, Micun Bibimbap now has more than 1,900 stores and plans to launch nationwide recruitment for city partners in 2027. That remains a future initiative and should not be confused with the scope of the current recruitment round.

In 2025, the brand voluntarily paused expansion after growing too quickly. It dropped short-term performance measures, including a competitive ranking system, in favour of longer-term indicators such as repeat purchase rates and growth in customer numbers. This latest recruitment drive therefore raises questions not only about new sites, but also about how the brand will fulfil the operational responsibilities it has explicitly taken on.

Practical tip: before entering discussions, prioritise checking the conditions for returning the deposit, the definition of distributable profit, loss carry-forward rules and exit arrangements. Also confirm the boundaries between expansion responsibilities and management authority. Do not treat a profit-sharing percentage as a promise of returns.