Traditional culture is integrated into the dining experience, and Chinese pastries have become the new favorite in the market——
"National trend" new dining taste (big data observation)
core reading
In 2023, my country's catering revenue will exceed 5.2 trillion yuan, a record high.
With the gradual rise of "national trend", "national trend" catering came into being.
"National trend" elements are integrated into dishes, traditional culture is integrated into dining experiences, and Chinese pastries have become a new favorite... "National trend" catering has become a hot spot for consumption, bringing consumers more new experiences "on the tip of their tongues."
The plush and fluffy "Long and Lion Cake" has quietly become popular, coffee chain companies have opened "Tang Poetry Theme Stores", and Western fast food has jointly launched a limited edition "Forbidden City Bucket" with the Forbidden City... Currently, the catering industry is experiencing " The "national trend" style brings more "on the tip of the tongue" new experiences.
"Guochao" catering brings new experience
Once you step into the picture scroll, you will have a feast and a dream that will bring you back thousands of years.
Walking into the Palace Banquet Restaurant on Qianmen Street in Dongcheng District, Beijing, is like walking into a historical TV series. The service staff are dressed in ancient costumes and performing ancient etiquette. The palace lanterns are flashing and the curtains are lightly swaying, filling the atmosphere of a palace banquet.
"From content to form, we hope to inherit and spread traditional Chinese food culture, integrate traditional culture into banquet etiquette, and allow guests to immerse themselves in the life of the ancients." Xing Xiubin, founder of Gong Yan, said.
With economic development and increasing cultural confidence, "national trend" has gradually emerged in recent years, and "national trend" catering has emerged as the times require.
Many restaurants with the theme of "national trend" have appeared in many places across the country, with various styles and focusing on Chinese cultural elements.
More and more "national trend" restaurants are emerging, providing consumers with a richer dining experience.
The "national trend" element has actually been in the catering industry for a long time, and many time-honored Chinese delicacies can be counted as "national trend" catering.
A few days ago, Beijing Hotel, a time-honored Chinese enterprise, invited intangible cultural heritage craftsmen to demonstrate Chinese folk skills in the lobby and inherit intangible cultural heritage.
The hotel has set up booths of traditional folk skills such as sugar figures, sugar paintings, paper-cuts, Chinese knots, dough figures, and straw weaving. Intangible cultural heritage craftsmen perform on-site. Through demonstrations, interactions, and on-site teaching of folk skills, guests can experience traditional Chinese culture up close. The charm of intangible cultural heritage skills.
"We hope that every customer can experience the unique charm of Chinese culture from a small candy man, dough sculpture, and Chinese knot. We hope that the intangible cultural heritage can be displayed in a 'national trend' style that is popular with young people and the public." The person in charge of Beijing Hotel said.
Many restaurants incorporate "national trend" elements into their dishes.
Xu Changlin, general manager of Admiral Brand, said: "The vessels used to serve roast duck in our store are in the shape of Ruyi, which symbolizes everything goes well. Roast duck is served with five flavors and three flavors. When the first bite is served, Ruyi-style tableware is used to serve it; the second and third bites are served On the table, the position of the beginning and end of Ruyi changes, which means that everything goes well from beginning to end, both positive and negative.”
In 2023, my country's catering revenue will exceed 5.2 trillion yuan, a record high.
Chen Xinhua, President of the China Hotel Association, said: "2024 is the 'Consumption Promotion Year' determined by the Ministry of Commerce. The catering industry must actively create hot spots for catering consumption and vigorously explore new areas such as digital consumption, green consumption, healthy consumption, and domestic 'trendy products'" Consumption growth point makes catering consumption an important force in expanding domestic demand."
"National trend" dim sum has become a cultural carrier
Walking into Beijing Daoxiangcun No. 0 store on Dongsi North Street, Dongcheng District, Beijing, the counter is filled with a dazzling array of Chinese pastries.
Store manager Li Yanliu introduced: "We have recently added new products, such as the 'Pipa Cake' in the shape of traditional folk music, the retro and soft 'Pan Niu Cake', the 'Paper-cut Square Cake' inherited with ingenuity, and the 'Emerald Cabbage' in the shape of antique ornaments. All draw on traditional Chinese cultural elements.”
The reporter noticed an "enamel cake" that looked like a gourd vase.
"This pastry is a special product jointly launched by Beijing Daoxiang Village and Beijing Enamel Factory. Its prototype is the 'Hongfu Qitian' vase from Beijing Enamel Factory. The gourd shape and bat elements mean good fortune and good luck, and also show The unique beauty of traditional handicrafts. Through the small pastries, you can seem to see the processes of craftsmen such as carving, filigree, and blue dotting." Li Yanliu introduced.
Cao Siyuan, project leader of Beijing Daoxiangcun Zero Store, said that Daoxiangcun has always focused on integrating traditional Chinese cultural elements into product design. In recent years, "national trend" culture has become popular, and its products have attracted more attention and love from consumers.
With the rapid development of live streaming e-commerce and cross-border e-commerce, the innovation of Chinese pastry products has accelerated, and innovations in shortbread products, pie products, pastry products, etc. have continued, and they have developed in-depth towards the domestic market, especially to young people.
The acceleration of overseas markets is also very obvious.
The survey shows that 58.4% of consumers pay more attention to the taste and flavor of the product when purchasing products. Over 40% of consumers are concerned about product quality and price, followed by public favorability and brand awareness, both of which are concerned by over 30% of consumers. .
Chinese pastries are gradually becoming a new favorite in the market due to their raw materials that are the same as medicine and food and their low sugar and low fat characteristics.
As relevant departments strengthen the promotion of traditional culture and encourage time-honored brands to enter the international market, the development of Chinese pastry is ushering in new opportunities, and the industry is increasingly developing towards health and diversified channels.
Tianyancha data shows that as of now, there are more than 25,000 companies related to Chinese pastries.
Industry experts suggest that Chinese pastries are becoming a carrier of Chinese culture. In addition to traditional physical store sales, brands can actively explore overseas online sales channels and expand sales scope through e-commerce platforms, social media and other channels.
"Guochao" snacks are good-looking and delicious
The retro rock box jointly launched by Yili Jindian and the Sanxingdui Museum in Guanghan, Sichuan, and the pork jerky jointly launched by Three Squirrels and the Gansu Provincial Museum... In the field of snacks, "national trend" products also attract consumers.
Currently, the main consumer group of snacks is young consumers.
For young people, simply "high quality and low price" can no longer meet consumer needs. "National trend" products that highlight individuality and cultural charm are more favored by young consumers.
In terms of packaging, some snacks catch consumers’ “first glance” through “national trend” elements.
Traditional Chinese operas such as shadow puppetry and Peking Opera, traditional Chinese paintings such as A Thousand Miles of Rivers and Mountains, Along the River During the Qingming Festival, or traditional Chinese cultural elements such as cultural relics and ancient architecture have all become blueprints for packaging production.
In terms of production, some snacks return to ancient methods, taking into account both taste and health.
For example, in the production process of a hawthorn pill snack, a variety of natural ingredients such as hawthorn, red dates, and yams are used. It is purely hand-made with honey. It is soft in the mouth and has a sweet and sour taste. It is also good for appetizing and digestion.
Driven by factors such as the improvement of living standards, increasingly rich consumption scenarios, and the continuous emergence of innovative products, my country's leisure snack consumption still has considerable room for growth.
Experts believe that competition in the snack market is becoming increasingly fierce, and innovative products will emerge in an endless stream. We should adapt to the personalized and diversified needs of domestic consumers to develop more unique and healthier snacks.
Lin Lili People's Daily