Hatchery in Dongsi to Close, Move to Arcade in Guomao

Just like being waterboarded, the splash of water hits our face, we struggle and we gasp – one bucket away from the end – and yet we live on. So is life in the hutongs with news of yet another closure, this time Beijing's primo food incubator Hatchery, reaching our WeChat feed earlier this week.

In the announcement, the Hatchery team state that the move is due to "hutong-related regulatory and operational issues" and that their latest Guomao-based video game-centric Arcade spot will for now become the de facto home of their incubator operations (read our review of Arcade here).

Hatchery's latest opening Arcade will become the new home to their operations

Credited with teaching most of us what a food incubator actually is, Hatchery hit the capital at the beginning of 2016 with their sizable Tuanjiehu-adjacent venue. However, the good times didn't last long and the team was forced to uproot the following August, finally settling in 5Lmeet's Dongsi location in October 2016.

Since they began helping out smaller restaurateurs wanting to get a foot in Beijing's fickle food scene as well as hosting their own creations, Hatchery has birthed such delights as meaty mussels, dank ceviche, gut-busting burgers, and legit hummus.

Hatchery also used the opportunity to unveil the launch of their latest project, Dx, an online food delivery accelerator (again, we're stumped as to what this means but will update you all when we know).

For now, take a deep breath and read about every other venue we've lost over the past 18 months, or read Hatchery's announcement in full below:

Our hutong-based incubator, Hatchery Dongsi, is on the move to Beijing’s CBD.

Over the past year and a half, the Hatchery team has continued operations in spite of a number of hutong-related regulatory and operational issues which have impacted the neighborhood and wider Beijing. As a result, we have decided to cease operations with immediate effect. We apologize for any inconvenience caused as a result of the closure – please get in touch if this is so.

Despite our love for the idyllic hutong location, we are planning to move Hatchery’s incubation HQ into a large 200sqm commercial kitchen within our latest project, Arcade. This will mean a larger working kitchen to test ideas and access to Guomao’s considerable concentration of China’s millennial market. The move will coincide with the launch of Dx, our straight to online food delivery accelerator. Further announcements and details regarding these plans will be released after the Chinese New Year break.

We greatly appreciate the Beijing community’s support and patronage at Hatchery Dongsi as well as those who recently attended Taste Tomorrow in Shanghai. Plans are in motion for Taste Tomorrow Beijing – more on this to come. While we work through this transition, the whole team welcomes everyone to check out Arcade for a casual lunch with colleagues, Bingo Wednesdays or a get together with friends. Enjoy your holidays!

Images courtesy of Hatchery

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