A Chinese coffee shop called itself People’s Cafe. That name got it roasted.

People's Cafe in Harbin Shangguanyiyi/xiaohongshu Hong Kong —

A Chinese coffee chain has apologized and changed its name after state media roasted it for misusing a word revered by the nation’s communist government.

People’s Cafe – which decorates most of its branches in bright red, often with a star on their storefront, evoking a very Chinese Communist Party aesthetic – issued an apology Saturday, days after state media singled it out for riding on the “gimmick economy.”

As in many officially communist states, the term “people” – or “renmin,” in Mandarin – is deployed liberally but earnestly by the Chinese government.

The country’s official name is the People’s Republic of China, with many authoritative institutions also deploying the prefix, including its military, the People’