Chinese restaurant faces backlash for labelling cheap dishes ‘kinder rates’ and expensive ones ‘PhD rates’—accused of educational discrimination

CHINA: A restaurant in southern China is stirring up debate with a unique pricing system that replaces traditional numbers with academic levels.

Located in Zhanjiang, Guangdong province, the eatery, which specializes in Cantonese cuisine, has attracted attention for its unconventional approach to labelling prices.

According to the South China Morning Post, rather than using standard numerical figures, the menu features prices listed in Chinese characters that correspond to various academic milestones.

For example, a dish priced at 10 yuan (approximately US$1.40) is marked as “kindergarten”, while a 13-yuan dish is labelled as “primary school”.

As the price increases, so does the academic level: dishes costing 16 yuan are “junior secondary school”, 18-yuan dishes are “senior secondary school”, and 20-yuan items are categorized as “tertiary college”.

The menu takes the concept even further with higher-priced items. A dish costing 26 yuan is equivalent to a “bachelor’s degree from a first-tier university”, while one priced at 23 yuan represents a degree from a “second-tier university”.

A “master’s degree” meal is priced at 28 yuan, and the highest-priced dish, at 29 yuan, is labelled as a “PhD”. The pinnacle of the pricing system is the “academician”, reserved for members of the prestigious Chinese Academy of Sciences or the Chinese Academy of Engineering, which costs 32 yuan.

On the lower end, the restaurant offers a 5-yuan dish labelled “bai ding”, which means illiterate in Chinese.

This pricing strategy has sparked significant conversation online, with many social media users divided over its implications. Critics argue that it could perpetuate educational discrimination and offend those with lower educational achievements.

One commenter on Baidu remarked, “It’s a blatant form of educational discrimination.” Others questioned whether the pricing system implies that higher education equates to higher income.

However, some patrons defend the restaurant’s creative approach, calling it an inventive business idea that shouldn’t be taken too seriously.

“We should encourage creativity and not be overly sensitive,” one user commented.

The restaurant, which has been using this pricing model for years, has attracted attention from local authorities as well. A spokesperson for the municipal market supervision authority called the pricing a “marketing behaviour” and emphasized that businesses are free to set prices as they wish, though the practice’s appropriateness remains subjective.

As the debate continues to grow, this academic-themed pricing system has become a symbol of creativity—and controversy—in modern Chinese dining.