Church's Texas Chicken draws hours-long queues for Shanghai debut, queues sold for up to $22

Church's Texas Chicken debuted its first mainland China location in Shanghai, drawing crowds that stood in the rain for over two hours while the restaurant processed roughly 800 to 900 orders each day. Entrepreneurs on Chinese resale sites began charging 100 to 150 yuan—about $22—to hold a place in line, a fee that exceeds the 89.90 yuan price of a six-piece bucket. The event sparked a trending hashtag on Weibo, where users shared nostalgic comments and debated whether the initial enthusiasm would endure, noting that some overseas menu items were unavailable.

The launch arrives amid sluggish consumer spending but a relatively stronger services sector, with retail services sales up 5% in the first seven months of the year. Church's Texas Chicken has signed its largest international development agreement with Deke Shengtang, targeting at least 600 new restaurants across China in the coming years, entering a market dominated by KFC, McDonald's and local fried-chicken brands. The chain did not respond to a request for comment outside regular business hours.