Mr. Lee is a popular fast-food chain in mainland China, specializing in beef noodle soup and other Chinese-style fast food. It is headquartered in Beijing.[1] The chain was formerly called California Beef Noodle King U.S.A. .
The first franchise was opened in Beijing in 1988 by a Californian Chinese-American, Li Beiqi, also known as "Mr. Lee". Li's face can be seen as part of the company logo, in a style similar to KFC's Colonel Sanders logo. Today, there are several hundred franchises present in many major Chinese cities. Notable locations include Shanghai, Nanjing, Tianjin, Harbin, Changchun, Qingdao and Shenyang.[2] Mr. Lee competes with foreign franchises such as KFC and McDonald's with lower prices and a greater appeal towards Chinese tastes.[3] The California Chicken ingredients are all from within China and have nothing to do with California.[4]
From June 2016, Mr. Lee started opening franchises in Australia, with the first restaurant in Australia being in Burwood.