Another Cross-Strait Café Shuts Down, Leaving Members With Unused Funds

You paid for a prepaid card at your local café, loaded it with hundreds—or even thousands—of RMB, and then one day you show up and the doors are locked. That’s what happened to multiple customers of Cross-Strait Café in Jinan, China, including one man who was left with over 2,000 RMB still on his card after both the Yinzuo Jingdu branch and the Shungeng Road branch shut down.

Yes, another Cross-Strait Café has closed, and yes, members are again unable to access unused stored value. At least two branches have shut recently, with one customer reporting 2,000 RMB left on his card and the company now negotiating refunds with the former branch manager.

What Happened at the Shungeng Road Branch?

Mr. Ren, a regular at the Shungeng Road branch of Cross-Strait Café, had been a member for some time. In May of the previous year, he paid 5,000 RMB to load a stored-value card. By the end of April this year, he and a friend arrived to find the café closed. He still had more than 2,000 RMB unused on the card—but no way to get it back, as the responsible party could not be contacted.

Why Do These Cafés Close?

According to a spokesperson for Cross-Strait Café, the recent closures are linked to issues with the previous branch managers. In the case of the Shungeng Road location, the former manager reportedly owed the company over 50,000 RMB in penalties and also failed to pay employee wages. Such financial and managerial problems can quickly lead to insolvency and sudden closure, leaving customers and staff in the lurch.

What Is Cross-Strait Café Doing About It?

The company has stated that it is actively working to resolve the issue. For members whose contact details they have, Cross-Strait Café has already initiated refund procedures. For those they cannot directly reach, they are now coordinating with the former branch manager to ensure that the outstanding stored value is returned to customers. However, there is no public timetable for when these refunds will be completed.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much money did the member have left on his card at Shungeng Road?

The member, Mr. Ren, had over 2,000 RMB remaining on his stored-value card when the Shungeng Road branch of Cross-Strait Café closed.

How much did the former branch manager owe the company?

The former manager of the Shungeng Road branch reportedly owed Cross-Strait Café over 50,000 RMB in penalties, in addition to unpaid staff wages.

Did the customer originally pay 5,000 RMB for the card?

Yes, Mr. Ren paid 5,000 RMB to load his Cross-Strait Café stored-value card in May of the previous year.

Is Cross-Strait Café refunding the unused balances?

Cross-Strait Café has said it is coordinating refunds. They have already contacted reachable members and are working with the former branch manager to recover funds for others.

Which Cross-Strait Café branches have closed recently?

The Yinzuo Jingdu branch closed in December of the previous year, and the Shungeng Road branch shut down more recently, both in Jinan, China.