China News Service, Wuhan, August 14th, title: The road to recovery in Wuhan's catering industry: holding the "green hills" and "fancy" breaking the game
China News Agency reporter Zhang Qin
From 13.3% on May 1st to 78% on August 1st, this is the proportion of dine-in restaurants in Wuhan this year. From the "climactic" decline in passenger flow to the recovery of the city's "fireworks", a new crown pneumonia epidemic has accelerated the "shuffle" of Wuhan's catering industry.
Wuhan's catering industry struggles to pick up
The "Report on the Resumption of Work and Resumption of the Catering Industry in the First Half of 2020" recently released by the China Cuisine Association shows that the national catering revenue in the first half of the year was 1,460.9 billion yuan (RMB, the same below), a year-on-year decrease of 32.8%. According to data released by the Wuhan Municipal Bureau of Statistics, Wuhan’s catering revenue in the first half of the year was 9.338 billion yuan, a decrease of 73.7%.
Behind the data is the difficult road to recovery after the unprecedented "cold winter" in Wuhan's catering industry.
After Wuhan was "unblocked", "Jiu Mao Jiu Bei Cai", which is beloved by the locals, announced the closure of all stores in Wuhan. The Sichuan restaurant "Golden Fog City", which has been open for 23 years, did not wait to "restart". For most catering brands, "surviving" has become the top priority.
At noon on August 13, the "Chongqing Restaurant" in Guandong Street, East Lake High-tech Zone, Wuhan was full of people. This small restaurant hidden in the alleys was opened by Chongqing native Zhang Yihong and her husband 15 years ago. At the end of 2019, Zhang Yihong's family returned to their hometown for the New Year, but it was already half a year since they never wanted to return to Wuhan again.
"When opening a business, you must consider expenditures. The purchase of ingredients, staff salaries, and rent all require cash input." Zhang Yihong said that after resuming business, she lost half of her employees and the business area was only one-half of the original size. It is a regular customer business, and the passenger flow is slowly picking up. "As long as it can go on, there is hope," she said.
"From cooperating with the closing of stores, to joining guarantees, to resuming takeaways, and opening up dine-in, the recovery of Wuhan's catering industry has gone through a difficult process." According to Liu Guoliang, President of Wuhan Catering Association, group buying, takeaway and self-service It has become the new normal of sales.
Huang Weiwei, the store manager of the Acrobatics Hall of Wuhan Little Blue Whale Hotel, said that the current store turnover has recovered to about 70% of the pre-epidemic level. The announcement of Wuhan's national nucleic acid test results has brought a turning point. Among them, on the day of the Dragon Boat Festival, the store’s passenger flow reached its peak. .
Change your mind and move forward
While governments at all levels have successively introduced support and guidance policies to activate consumption, some catering companies have also begun to change their minds. Some star hotels "put down their bodies" to sell early and set up barbecue stalls to attract consumers.
Yan Dongjun, head of the food and beverage department of Wuhan Hongshan Hotel, said that for a five-star hotel, the income from selling breakfast and making late nights is actually a drop in the money, but mobilizing employees and keeping the hotel operating can boost morale.
Recently, A-level tourist attractions in Hubei Province have been opened to the outside world free of charge, which has also stimulated surrounding catering consumption. On May 1 this year, Hubu Alley, the "First Alley of Han-flavored Snacks," reopened. The "Shitaipo Hot Dry Noodles" that had been in business for decades could only sell a few bowls of noodles a day.
Ms. Tang, the third-generation descendant of the store, told reporters that with the free opening of scenic spots such as the Yellow Crane Tower, Hubu Alley gradually recovered its popularity. As long as the store is still there, she will definitely stick to it.
Liu Guoliang believes that in the post-epidemic era, Wuhan’s catering industry needs to increase operating projects and reduce operating costs, so as to overcome the current difficulties, retain the "green hills" and retain the main body of the enterprise, and then it is possible to move forward.
He introduced that the Wuhan Food and Beverage Association has begun to unite with national catering companies to create an industry-sharing platform, forming an entire online industry chain from food purchases, product distribution, to takeaway sales.
Regarding how Hubei’s catering industry can get out of the predicament as soon as possible, Lu Yongliang, the honorary dean of the Chucai Research Institute of Hubei University of Economics, pointed out that the beverage industry needs to adapt to new market changes and new demands, strengthen the inheritance and innovation of Chu cuisine, and explore diversified business models and sales methods. . (Finish)