2025年9月23日，中國知名連鎖餐飲品牌西貝的官方公眾號發佈一篇名為《7歲的毛毛：我以為自己再也吃不到西貝了》的文章，試圖以一個七歲孩子的視角，講述毛毛從兩歲起就開始吃西貝，並表達他對餐廳的喜愛。然而，由於近期西貝涉及的新聞事件，毛毛的媽媽起初不允許他再去光顧這家餐廳。文章中描述毛毛哭鬧、拒絕接受玩具“誘惑”的情節，最終媽媽“想通了”，帶著毛毛前往西貝用餐。

這篇文章發布後立即引發網絡熱議，但並非正面評價。網民普遍認為這篇文章過度煽情、情感表達不真實，甚至有人評論稱其為“史詩級最爛公關”，認為品牌利用一個孩子的視角來緩和輿論風波，手法過於生硬且失敗。文章在網絡上引起的負面聲浪非常大，不少人批評西貝試圖通過煽情故事來挽回形象的行為不但沒有誠意，反而加劇公眾對品牌的不滿。

面對廣泛的輿論壓力，西貝官方在9月25日將這篇文章從公眾號上刪除，這一操作被解讀為品牌對輿論反應的緊急應對。然而，事件也暴露出企業在危機公關中的不成熟策略，顯示品牌在處理負面新聞時若過於依賴情感化敘事而缺乏真實透明的溝通，往往會引發更大的公眾反感。

On September 23, 2025, the official WeChat account of the well-known Chinese restaurant chain Xibei published an article titled “7-Year-Old Maomao: I Thought I Could Never Eat at Xibei Again.” The article attempted to tell the story from the perspective of a seven-year-old child named Maomao, who had been eating at Xibei since he was two and had grown fond of the restaurant. Due to recent negative news involving Xibei, Maomao’s mother initially forbade him from visiting the restaurant. The article depicted Maomao crying and refusing to be distracted by toys, until finally, his mother “relented” and took him to Xibei to dine.

The publication quickly sparked controversy online, but the response was overwhelmingly negative. Netizens criticized the article as overly sentimental and inauthentic, with some calling it “epic-level terrible PR.” Many argued that Xibei’s attempt to soften public criticism by using a child’s perspective was clumsy and insincere, ultimately exacerbating public dissatisfaction with the brand.

In response to the backlash, Xibei deleted the article from its official account on September 25. The incident highlighted the company’s immature crisis management strategy, showing that relying on emotionally manipulative storytelling rather than transparent and genuine communication can often backfire and increase public discontent.