<p>Corruption among Chinese government officials is often closely linked to catering, a phenomenon known as ‘gourmet corruption’. This study examines the spatial relationship between corruption in city government and catering. Using the 2012–2016 China Corruption Investigation Database and dining services’ point-of-interest data, we determine that increased corruption has promoted restaurants’ growth, particularly high-end dining establishments. The impact operates through collusion and supervision mechanisms and follows a U-shaped pattern with respect to distance from government location. The impact is more pronounced for cities closer to the coastline, with higher economic development, lower housing prices and higher administrative level. Moreover, the impact is significantly weakened when city’s top officials leave office, indicating that the anti-corruption campaign launched by the Chinese government in 2012 has a transformative effect on institutional change. This study examines corrupt catering practices from a spatial perspective and proposes a potential approach to measure corruption.</p>