The regional characteristics are very strong, and the tastes of the stores are different
Why is Chongqing's local noodles "delicious but not big"?
Our reporter Li Guo
In Chongqing, small noodles and hot pot are the favorites of diners.
Prior to this, Brother Zhou Hotpot became the first local hotpot brand in Chongqing to receive venture capital.
However, Chongqing's local small noodle brands are still facing the embarrassment of "delicious but not big".
The "persistence" of the Chongqing boss
According to Zou Xu, president of Chongqing Small Noodles Association, since this year, capital moves on the noodle track have been frequent: Wuye noodles successfully raised 300 million yuan, and Hefu noodles also received 800 million yuan in financing.
Recently, Chongqing Xiaomian apprentice Song Qi founded Met Xiaomian and announced that it has completed a financing of more than 100 million yuan.
Unfortunately, Chongqing's local small noodle brands often pass by with capital.
Tang Xinyu, the founder of Chongqing Zumian, said that he has contacted many capital investment companies in recent years, but has not talked about it.
Investors' view is that the local small noodle restaurants in Chongqing have not passed the test of the national market.
It is also said that the bosses of most small noodle brands in Chongqing are more alone and less resource integration.
During the interview, the reporter heard something like this: In a noodle restaurant in Wanzhou, Chongqing, a non-local diners ordered a noodle without chili, and the boss did not accept it.
The reason is that the non-spicy fatty intestine noodles are not tasty at all.
The "persistence" of the Chongqing boss can be seen from this.
According to industry insiders, a brand with Wandian genes must not be a very regional taste business.
One family blindly
"Chongqing small noodles competition is too fierce." The owner of Chongqing Zhaowu noodle shop Zhao said that when he opened his first store in Jindao Garden, there were more than 10 small noodle shops on the street more than 200 meters away. Only two or three of these stores are still operating.
The bad taste was quickly eliminated by the market.
"There is no fixed taste standard for authentic Chongqing small noodles. One family is blind, delicious is the king. Too spicy for no one, not spicy enough and not delicious." said Mo Yuanming, a researcher at the Chongqing Jingyu Provincial Development and Planning Research Institute, Chongqing If the small noodles are opened to other cities, it will be difficult to adapt to local taste preferences if they do not change the local flavors of rivers and lakes. If they are changed to adapt to the local taste preferences, it will not be Chongqing small noodles.
This is almost a problem encountered in cuisines with overly strong regional flavors, especially for heavily flavored cuisines.
In this regard, some people say that small noodles can make 10,000 bowls of different flavors, and there are subtle differences in fragrance that cannot be replicated.
This is the talent of Chongqing people and the reason why it is difficult for Xiaomian to get out of Chongqing.
Implementation of local standards
"Although there is no fixed method for small noodles, some Chongqing characteristics are still obvious." said Cao Jialiang, secretary general of Chongqing Small Noodles Association. First of all, it must be spicy enough, the soup must be hot and red, and there are multiple compounds in the spicy and fresh ingredients. As for whether it is 14 kinds of spices or 18 kinds of spices, that is the unique secret recipe of each store.
Chongqing noodles actually have local standards.
According to Cao Jialiang, the standard drafting team consulted a large number of national standards and related industry standards, and together with the experimental team visited some small noodle restaurants in Chongqing, and conducted several experiments and data collection on Chongqing small noodles, which were completed after several meetings and discussions. The draft standard was finally released as "Chongqing Small Noodle Cooking Technical Guide".
The relevant person in charge of the Chongqing Municipal Commission of Commerce believes that the standard emphasizes hygiene and operation specifications, thereby further ensuring the quality of Chongqing small noodles, improving the quality and image of catering companies and the Chongqing small noodle industry, and effectively protecting the interests of consumers .
Under the implementation and guidance of Chongqing's first local standard, Chongqing's small noodle enterprises will develop in a more standardized and healthy manner.
However, the person in charge said that although the standard stipulates the production process of Chongqing small noodles in detail, it does not specify the proportion of seasonings. Instead, it states "evenly put into the noodle bowl in a certain proportion for mixing".
As the Chongqing small noodles brand has not been authorized by geographical indication certificates, the food processing enterprises all over the country can produce it, which makes the taste of Chongqing small noodles uneven.
Most Chongqing small noodles are made with semi-dry soda noodles, but some Chongqing small noodles from other places are instant noodles, which greatly reduce the taste.
To this end, Chongqing Dadukou District recently announced that it will build Chongqing Small Noodle Industrial Park in 2023, and strive to become an industrial park with an annual output value of more than 10 billion yuan, and to achieve a new take-off of Chongqing small noodles by seizing market share.
Cao Jialiang told reporters that under the planning and operation of the professional platform of the Xiaomian Association, Chongqing Xiaomian has initially realized the development path of industry standardization, intelligence, and branding.
Under the integrated development of the entire industry chain, the Chongqing Small Noodle Association expects to build 3 to 5 local listed small noodle brands within 5 years.