"Spicy chicken wings, braised fish, cabbage... 10 dishes with a slightly spicy taste, a total of 169 yuan." The first day I discussed the dishes and prices with the customer, and agreed on a good time.
At 3 o'clock in the afternoon, "Kui Kuizi", a "post-95" girl in Changsha City, Hunan Province, was about to set off to "come to the kitchen as a substitute cook".
Since 2022, there has been an upsurge of "home cooking" in many places across the country.
Many people leave messages on various social platforms to provide "door-to-door cooking" services for those who need meals nearby, and earn a certain fee.
The popularity of related content continues to rise on multiple platforms.
Why is "door-to-door cooking" popular?
What are the features of this service?
What risks are hidden behind the industry?
The Banyuetan reporter launched an investigation on this.
The rise of "door-to-door substitute kitchen" service
Most of the "chefs" in the "door-to-door substitute kitchen" are culinary enthusiasts. The two sides of consumption and service reach a consensus through point-to-point contact. The "chefs" come to cook at home and charge service fees online.
Since 2022, the phenomenon of "door-to-door cooking" has emerged in many places.
According to the data of Meituan from October to December 2022, the search volume of "home cooking" increased by 533% month-on-month.
Two to three dishes are 58 yuan, and four to five dishes are 78 yuan... The reporter from Banyuetan found on platforms such as Xiaohongshu, Xianyu, and Douyin that users in Beijing, Shanghai, Wuhan, and other places released dishes offering different cuisines. Personal "door-to-door cooking" service advertisement.
According to the consumption level and the number of dishes in various places, the charging standard of "substitute kitchen" ranges from tens of yuan to hundreds of yuan. If you need to buy vegetables and wash dishes on your behalf, you will be charged an additional 10 yuan.
At the beginning of November 2022, "Kui Kuizi", who had resigned and stayed at home, accidentally saw the information of "replacing the chef". She, who is usually good at cooking Hunan, Sichuan and Western food, became interested, and immediately posted a comparison.
"Not long after, someone sent me a private message to consult me." "Kui Kuizi" said that she received orders 2 to 3 times a day, and she earned more than 10,000 yuan a month.
Many "chefs" interviewed said that the service of "door-to-door cooking" is booming in various places, and some even set up "door-to-door cooking" companies.
Many people are considering integrating resources and forming a team-based "representative chef" service model in the future.
Behind the hotness, there are new features
"Finding a 'substitute chef' is cheaper than looking for a chef, and you can often change cuisines." Mr. Liu, who lives in Wuhan, told Banyuetan that there are elderly people and children at home, and because of food safety concerns, the "substitute chef" is more reassuring.
He calculated an account for the reporter of Banyue Tan. According to the standard of 6 dishes, he spent 88 yuan for service fee and 120 yuan for raw materials. Compared with going out to eat and looking for professional chefs, the price is lower, and the quality of the dishes he eats is high. .
In addition, the "representative chefs" directly posted their specialty cuisines, and the information was transparent.
The reporter from Banyuetan sorted out and found that the popular "door-to-door cooking" still presents many new features.
One is a wider range of practitioners.
According to the analysis of the interviewees, culinary enthusiasts are the main force of the "door-to-door substitute chef".
They work part-time or full-time, turning their hobby into a job.
The reporter of Banyuetan learned from the interview that there are many groups of "home chefs" such as office workers and mothers, who often use their spare time to provide "door-to-door chef" services for others.
In the comment area of multiple "replacement chef" advertisements on a certain platform, some people left messages "How to make a 'replacement chef'?"
The second is the double rejuvenation of "home cooks" and consumer groups.
A number of "representative chefs" told the Banyuetan reporter that most of the "representative chef" circles are "post-85s", "post-90s", and even "post-00s". Young people like to try new things, and their service targets are mainly peers.
An Internet practitioner said that "door-to-door cooking" mainly uses online social platforms as the communication medium, and young people are the main users of various social platforms. Relying on the characteristics of instant messaging on the platform, the communication between the two parties is more convenient and efficient.
"Most of the customers are young people. I have also made many friends through the 'door-to-door chef'." Said Dapeng, a "post-90s" veteran who joined the "kitchen substitute" team for a while.
Third, consumer demand is more diversified.
The reporter from Banyuetan found that many consumers who order takeaway for a long time, do not know how to cook or have no time to cook, have needs for fresh and special meals, so they seek the service of "substitute chef".
In addition to common types such as birthday banquets and company team building, the meal consultations received by "representative chefs" also include a variety of demand types such as healthy diet, fat-reducing light food, and confinement meals.
Guide the healthy development of "door-to-door cooking"
A number of interviewees said that "door-to-door cooking" has certain social significance, which can promote flexible employment, drive consumption, and meet the needs of different consumer groups for catering.
However, the entry threshold of "door-to-door substitute kitchen" is low, and there are certain risks.
Hu Junjie, a lawyer from Hubei Today Law Firm, said that the process of "substituting kitchen" belongs to the link of food production, and there is a lack of corresponding regulations on how to guarantee service quality and food safety.
Hu Junjie said that "door-to-door chefs" mainly rely on private messages on social platforms to establish contact, which is a "what you like, I want" transaction, and there is no personal safety protection for both "door-to-door chefs" and consumers.
For example, it is not ruled out that some people are not righteous and have criminal purposes.
In addition, once a safety accident occurs during the cooking process of the "home chef", there is no basis for how to resolve the dispute.
During the interview, the reporter of Banyuetan learned that both "home cooks" and consumers are more concerned about safety risks.
Many consumers will ask to check the health certificate of the "home chef".
"Door-to-door cooks" will also judge safety through chatting, and then decide whether to "come-to-door chefs".
Yu Xi, a lawyer from Hubei Lifeng Law Firm, said that "door-to-door cooking" is an emerging service relationship, which may constitute a labor relationship, or a labor service or employment relationship, and the legal nature varies in different situations.
In addition, most of the "door-to-door substitute chefs" pay service fees privately through WeChat or Alipay. If the amount is huge, tax issues may also be involved.
Regarding the risks and controversies that still exist at present, Hu Junjie, Yu Xi, etc. said that "door-to-door cooking" as a new occupation with a refined social division of labor has certain development prospects.
Relevant departments should positively guide and regulate the healthy development of the industry.
For example, referring to mature service management models such as online car-hailing and housekeeping, determine industry entry thresholds, improve payment methods, dispute resolution paths, and other matters, and tailor-made quality evaluation and management methods for the entire service process, so as to comprehensively improve and standardize " Door-to-door cooking" industry.
(Reporter from Banyuetan.com: Quan Tanaka and Deng Nan)