Chinanews.com, August 11th. According to a comprehensive compilation report from Australia.com, although some Australian Chinese restaurants that have grown up with generations of Chinese can only exist in the memory of some people, the Chinese restaurants are not from Australia. Exit from the "Overseas Stage". Although facing the impact of the epidemic, there are many Chinese restaurants that continue to operate under difficult circumstances, and spare no effort to provide the Australian people with the most traditional and authentic Chinese food, and it also supports the nostalgia of the Australian Chinese. The shade under the scorching sun."
"We have been insisting"
According to data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics, the Chinese have now become Australia’s largest ethnic minority group, and China is also Australia’s second largest source of immigrants. Among them, about 650,000 Australian immigrants were born in China. Logically speaking, such a large number of Chinese Australians should be enough to support those Chinese restaurants that have sprung up like bamboo shoots. At the same time, over the past few years, Australian locals' love for Chinese food has continued unabated. But the reality is that the operation of Chinese restaurants in Australia has become increasingly difficult in recent years.
In Australia, the business of Chinese restaurants is not easy to do. According to a survey conducted by the "Sydney Morning Herald", the average Chinese restaurant can only break even after six months of opening. In Sydney, the rate of restaurant closures due to insufficient funds and poor management is as high as 50%, and the rate of closure of Chinese restaurants is even higher. The location, rent, transportation, water and electricity, labor, etc. all make the shopkeepers suffer. According to an analysis report on the Australian restaurant industry, since 2015, the turnover of Australian restaurants has declined slightly every year. Until 2020, the attack of the new crown pneumonia epidemic has made the "not wealthy Chinese restaurant industry worse". The negative growth in turnover fell below 4.1%.
According to a report by ABC, the business of most Chinese restaurants has decreased by about 70%-90%. As well-known Chinese restaurants that are still strong in Australia, such as Quanjude and Din Tai Fung have also suffered major blows. According to the "Daily Mail" report, Din Tai Fung even started selling quick-frozen food online, hoping to recover some of the losses.
Many unsustainable Chinese restaurants have closed down, and the remaining Chinese restaurants are still struggling. But under this circumstance, these Chinese restaurants did not give up and did not accept the arrangements given by fate. They are working hard to take various self-help measures.
Based on reports from CNN and the Daily Mail, some Chinese restaurants are actively cooperating with the government's epidemic restrictions, arranging disinfection and employee health checks to make customers feel relieved to eat. In addition, some restaurants will also adopt some preferential policies, such as rebate 10% of the entire bill to stimulate customers' enthusiasm for consumption. In addition, some experts also gave suggestions, saying that Chinese restaurants can optimize the operation mode and reduce costs.
In fact, in addition to the efforts of the Chinese restaurant itself, all parties in the Australian society are also contributing to the re-prosperity of the Chinese restaurant. Based on reports from The Times and SBS, in order to encourage Chinese restaurants to tide over the difficulties, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison visited the Chinese district of Melbourne and ate in Chinese restaurants, calling on the Australians to let go of their panic and anxiety and support Chinese restaurants. Business.
It is also reported that under the leadership of Australian TV host Ben Fordham, many Australians have spontaneously started to post on social media the topic #I Will Eat With You (I Will Eat With You), calling on everyone to support together. Chinese restaurant, go to the Chinese restaurant for dinner.
A trip to find a Chinese restaurant: "This is great, it's a treasure hunt!"
For some people, Chinese restaurants may not only attract them the most from the taste of Chinese food, but also the "taste" of Chinese culture. According to a local website report, an Australian couple, Anna Satin and Josh Burns, are very keen on Chinese restaurant culture. When other couples choose to go shopping, visit exhibitions, and watch movies during their holidays, they resolutely Decided to start his own "journey to find a Chinese restaurant."
It is reported that since 2017, Sadin and Burns will pick a weekend each month to start a road trip. On the way, they will find a variety of Chinese restaurants and enjoy these unique "romantic sanctuary". Sardin said: "The Chinese restaurant road trip combines the love of road trips, old-fashioned Chinese restaurants and cultural exchanges. Our goal is to photograph these Chinese restaurants with traces of time and make more people fall in love with them."
Sardin thinks that the Chinese restaurant is like shells scattered on the beach in her eyes, bright and visible everywhere. She said: “If you walk on the streets of any rural town in Australia, you are likely to see Chinese restaurants everywhere. From the 1950s to the 1980s, they became world-renowned and were the first to provide alternative hamburgers and fried dishes. One of the fish and chip restaurants. Historically, for many Australians, local Chinese restaurants are like a gateway to a distant land in a foreign country. In some places, they retain this mysterious and charming status. The lanterns with tassels, man-made jade dragon sculptures, moon gates with golden lattices, complex screens, murals and ceilings are still very attractive to many people who like Chinese style and Chinese cuisine. "
For Sardin and Burns, this journey is like a treasure hunt, full of unknown and exciting. Sardin said: "You never know what the next Chinese restaurant will look like."
For Sardin, in his growing years, going to a local Chinese restaurant to eat with his family was regarded as a family ceremony. After all, at that time, Chinese cuisine had become an important part of the local food culture, and Chinese restaurants had appeared in various regions of Australia. She said: "Through all kinds of Chinese restaurants, we can see the important role and efforts made by Chinese Australians in the growth of our country. They have enriched our culture immeasurably and have integrated into it. National core.” Based on all this, Sardin hopes to integrate himself into the nostalgic Chinese restaurant scene through this uninterrupted travel, and re-evoke people's memories of going to the local Chinese restaurant.
Tomorrow of the Chinese restaurant is in the hands of everyone
For the Chinese, the Chinese restaurant carries the culture flowing in their blood and records every drop of sweat the predecessors struggled in Australia. For local Australians, the Chinese restaurant has opened a new door for them, allowing them to experience the customs and customs of the other side of the ocean from the delicious dishes. For some fashionable and trendy young people, Chinese restaurants are the "unique sanctuary" for them to discover beauty.
Nowadays, these Chinese restaurants, which have been bringing us beautiful, may partly be "struggling" in a difficult situation. Although there are many Chinese restaurants that have "fallen down" behind them, the remaining Chinese restaurants full of memories still stand upright in the streets of Australia for decades. I believe that when the epidemic is over, people will re-enter the Chinese restaurant full of hometown flavor and human touch, all difficulties will be solved, and the bustle and noise will return again. (Wei Wei)