SHANGHAI -- Hot pot restaurants in China are rolling out dishes priced at just 9.9 yuan ($1.40) to woo penny-pinching customers hit by the country's real estate slowdown and a tough labor market.
The ultralow-price strategy was started by coffeehouse chain Cotti Coffee, which offered beverages for less than 10 yuan. It soon exploded into a so-called 9.9-yuan price war, and now this trend has ensnared the hot pot market.
