Zhang Yong

Zhang resumed the Haidilao CEO role, announced late Tuesday January 13, 2026, in what insiders called a 'second revolution' for the Hong Kong-listed company, aiming to revive profitability through an accelerated rollout of the 'Red Pomegranate Plan,' an initiative launched in 2024 to develop new restaurant brands beyond hot pot.

Zhang Yong — founder profiled in the Chinese Founder Ledger — is documented as follows: founded the Haidilao hot pot chain and, after some years focusing on high-level strategy as chairman, resumed direct CEO control in January 2026 to lead a 'second revolution' strategic overhaul as earnings cooled and China's dining sector slowed. The profile is grounded in the 1 sources indexed for this founder.

Sources familiar with the matter told Caixin that Zhang's return to the operational CEO role, after recent years focused on high-level strategy, was meant to quicken decision-making during a pivotal transition period for the company.

Zhang Yong's role is documented as: founder and Chairman of Haidilao; resumed the role of Chief Executive Officer in a leadership shake-up announced late January 13, 2026 Confirmed per Caixin Global's January 14, 2026 report that Zhang 'has resumed his role as chief executive officer,' with the change announced late the prior day, January 13, 2026 (research date: 2026-08-23).

At the time of Zhang's return, Haidilao's revenue from non-hot pot restaurants had risen 227% year-over-year to 597 million yuan, but total revenue fell 3.7% to 20.7 billion yuan and net profit dropped 13.7%; the company reduced its store count by 21 to 1,322 and added only three franchised outlets in early 2025, reflecting cautious expansion amid a cooling Chinese dining sector.

As of the reported figures, Haidilao's non-hot pot revenue had grown sharply (227% year-over-year to 597 million yuan) even as total revenue and net profit both declined and store count contracted slightly, indicating the diversification strategy was underway but overall turnaround results were not yet resolved as of the report.