BEIJING: A Chinese boy with a remarkable talent for engaging customers at his family’s restaurant in central China has gone viral, drawing entertaining reactions from both domestic and international netizens.
The four-and-a-half-year-old child gained overnight fame after a Serbian expat in China posted a video of him being approached in front of a diner in Huangshan, Anhui province, on his account @saitie, on Sept 12.
In the video, the young boy skilfully attracted customers in front of his family’s Anhui cuisine restaurant.
He exhibited no stage fright while interacting with a foreigner, politely asking: “Would you like to dine in our restaurant?”
Initially, Saitie declined, as it was 3pm and he had already eaten. The boy took the rejection in stride, quickly turning to engage another passer-by.
Without hesitation, he responded “yes” when Saitie asked if he was the restaurant’s “little boss.” When queried about his recommended dish, he enthusiastically replied: “Anything you want.”
The kind-hearted vlogger eventually stepped into the restaurant and ordered fried rice, wanting to avoid disappointing the little boy.
He remarked that the boy provided him with “five-star service,” preparing the tableware, offering a complimentary soft drink, and gently reminding him to eat slowly with the small bowl, saying: “If you eat this rice too fast, isn’t there nothing left to eat?”
Saitie expressed his admiration for this “baby boss,” praising him as kind and adorable.
The video attracted 260,000 likes on a Chinese short video platform and was also shared on an international platform under the account @sj_china_vlog, where it received 50,000 reposts.
Viewers responded with heartwarming and humorous comments.
“Bro got rejected and instantly locked in on another target,” one commented, to which Saitie humorously replied: “He mastered the art of rejection.”
“He is the one who drops his parents off at work and then goes to school. He doesn’t cry when getting a shot; he holds the doctor’s hand to comfort them,” joked another.
A netizen in China praised Saitie as well, stating: “Saitie is a lovely person who dined at the restaurant even when he wasn’t hungry, just to avoid disappointing the boy. He also tolerates the boy playing at his table.”
The boy’s mother later responded on the restaurant’s social media account, clarifying that they had never taught him how to engage customers; he learned it from observing adults.
She explained that his motivation came from wanting to be “a little adult” and help his family.
He would offer complimentary drinks and buns to customers and assist in setting their tables.
The mother also commented on the boy’s adeptness at handling rejection, noting that he sometimes invited those who turned him down to “come back tomorrow.”
She expressed her gratitude for Saitie’s kindness towards her son. - South China Morning Post
