China’s Restaurants Feel the Heat as Pork Supplies Plunge

China’s Restaurants Feel the Heat as Pork Supplies Plunge
Employees work at a pork bun chain restaurant Xishaoye in Beijing, China on Nov. 22, 2019. Jason Lee/Reuters
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BEIJING—Cao Xianli, the owner of a “ribs and rice” restaurant in eastern China’s Qingdao City, is facing his biggest test in a decade of running the eatery.

Not only have costs doubled in the last year because of soaring pork prices, but he’s not even sure he'll be able to secure enough of the meat needed for his signature dish.