Grill run by doctors gets visit from Lancet editor

A barbecue joint in Beijing named after the medical journal The Lancet got a surprise visit when the publication chief editor stopped in for a bite.

William Summerskill, senior executive editor of the English-language publication, visited The Lancet BBQ on Sunday, according to the restaurant’s Sina Weibo post.

“It’s a little spicy… but it’s really good!” Summerskill said of the Xuzhou barbecue, China Youth Daily reported.

Co-owners Wang Jian and Cheng Si, both medical school graduates from China’s top schools Peking University and Tsinghua, opened the restaurant in April with sixteen other former classmates.

They not only named it in honor of one of the oldest and most prestigious medical journals, but also offer discounts to customers who can prove they’ve recently been published in a scientific journal.

However, the owners were apparently caught off guard when they found out about the visit.

“Summerskill is a very kind and modest person, he didn’t want to disturb your weekend,” The Lancet’s Asia regional chief editor told the owner Wang, the paper reported.

The publication has offices in London, New York and Beijing.

News of the visit attracted other patrons in the medical field as well as aspiring medical students to visit the restaurant and say hello to Summerskill.

It was not reported if Summerskill was given a discount.