Introduction:A Mans Coffee outlet at Chongqing’s Fuyuehui Mall was demolished overnight by the shopping center, despite having five years left on a ten-year lease. The business’s equipment and decor were completely destroyed without prior notice. The tenant insists it had been paying rent and utilities on time — even during the challenging pandemic period — yet the mall has remained silent. This article reconstructs the incident, analyzes common disputes in leasing conflicts, and offers legal and evidentiary preservation tips for food and beverage operators facing forced evictions.
Recently, netizens in Chongqing exposed that a long-operating Mans Coffee outlet inside Fuyuehui Mall was suddenly demolished by property management in the middle of the night. Photos from the scene showed that all the coffee machines, tables, chairs, and other equipment had vanished, with the once elaborate décor smashed into a bare-shell state. The entrance and exit were sealed off with barriers, and advertisements for new tenants were already put up. What had been a fully intact two-story café was reduced to a vacant lot overnight, shocking both regular customers and staff.
According to the operator, the shop had signed a ten-year lease with the mall and had only fulfilled five years of it. Throughout this period, there had been no arrears in rent, utilities, or other fees — even during the tough times of the pandemic, payments were consistently made on time. Prior to the incident, no relocation notices were received. Mall personnel directly emptied the store of its items and destroyed the interior decoration. The operator immediately reported the incident to the police and posted notices on the barriers, promising to refund any prepaid membership fees.
The incident triggered heated online discussion. Some consumers, recalling last year’s incident where a Mans Coffee branch in Beijing abruptly shut down and disappeared, were skeptical of the operator’s claims. The management clarified that this particular outlet had long since broken away from the chain brand and was operating independently, still maintaining steady foot traffic and hosting community gathering events. Notably, several former tenants of the mall commented online revealing that the property management had previously carried out multiple forced evictions on tenants with leases not yet expired — including hotpot restaurants, accessory shops, and even international chain Costa Coffee — all experiencing similar “sudden disappearance” treatment.
Regarding leasing disputes, professionals advise F&B operators to pay special attention to the following:When signing contracts, be sure to clarify the lease term, breach clauses, and early termination procedures,and retain all payment receipts and communication records. In the event of a forced eviction, you shouldimmediately report to the police to obtain an official report receipt,and take photos and videos to document the condition of the damaged site. From a legal perspective, you may invoke Article 725 of the Civil Code to assert the principle that a sale does not break a lease, or pursue civil litigation to claim compensation for the residual value of the décor and lost expected business income.
As of press time, the mall management has yet to make any public response to the matter. On-site observations show that the barrier notices posted by the operator have been painted over with white paint, but neighboring merchants confirmed that the demolition indeed took place without any consultation. This incident not only exposes the issue of contract breaches by dominant parties in commercial leasing, but also serves as a wake-up call for tenants — regularly backing up important documents and installing surveillance to record business operations are practical measures to reduce operational risks.
The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.
