China Overseas Chinese Network, May 17th. According to the US "World Journal" report, in the United States, as the epidemic slows down and vaccines are launched, businesses that have tasted the sweetness of switching from offline to online are striving to be in the post-epidemic era. Shanghai continues to seize the opportunity, one after another by increasing the "net celebrity" elements in products and services to innovate, and combined with online platforms to vigorously promote and promote, hoping to earn enough attention, traffic and young customers, on the road to "start again" Stride forward.
"Restaurant 99", the king of hot pot and barbecue buffets in New York, although the price-performance ratio is unmatched in the industry, it has long attracted a large number of students and young fans, but in order to continue to win in the starting line in the resumption of work after the epidemic, A few days ago, the new product "Cloudy Beef" was launched, which perfectly combines the fluffy marshmallow cloud and the tender Angus beef. It is available in limited quantities and is popular on social media.
Attracting punch cards to drive consumption
"Now it's all about the Internet celebrity economy, businesses must learn to market," said Lin Liju, the founder of Restaurant No.99. China has done a good job in this regard. Internet celebrity products are everywhere and creative. The industry can browse more social media. The media serves as a reference, seeks inspiration, and combines its own actual situation to learn from each other's strengths. "It's not that the more fancy the better, it has to be suitable for you."
This time, the new products were shot and inspected in the store by his friends in China, and then adjusted and introduced. "The customer response is very strong, and we have also hired a professional marketing team to promote and promote on social media."
Lin Li said that younger customers are not as "real" as older customers, who always seek taste when eating, but are more attracted by taking pictures and punching in. "As long as they have good looks, gimmicks, and good visual perception, they will come. consumption".
This also determines that Internet celebrity products should be replaced frequently. "For our self-service, many dishes are fixed, so we have to change one or two dishes from time to time, and not only have to have a good appearance, but also have a guaranteed taste. While continuously attracting young people, it also keeps the company's brand young and fresh forever."
For loyal fans, restaurant No. 99 is the best choice for birthdays. Since its opening, it has always insisted on giving free orders to birthday stars. The monkey dolls and employees in the store will also sing birthday songs and light candles for birthday stars.
In the past nine years, as many as 150,000 people have celebrated their birthdays in Restaurant 99. In order to further consolidate the concept of "Restaurant 99 will accompany you on your birthday", Lin Liju said that he is currently designing a set of birthday software for Each birthday star is assigned an exclusive number, made into a card, and comes with a gift, which will be placed on the screens of all stores on the birthday and updated simultaneously to create an unforgettable and exclusive memory for customers.
Follow the trend to please diners
The "different dim sum", which has always been focusing on the young people's market, focuses on Chinese-style snacks such as Shanghai, Jiangsu and Zhejiang, which not only enriches the taste buds of diners, but also continues to promote and promote Chinese traditional culture through gourmet food.
Owner Chen Kaiping immigrated to the United States from Shanghai more than 30 years ago, and has always adhered to the production philosophy of keeping up with the trend, "I will do what is popular in China", from the initial fresh meat mooncakes to the spicy crayfish mooncakes and hairy crabs derived from them. Mooncakes, from the original bean paste green group to the derived pumpkin matcha green group and salted egg yolk meat floss green group, every product will become an Internet celebrity.
A few days ago, the store launched the purple sweet potato cheese fairy bean cake, which was designed by the "post-80s" pastry chef Wu Yinjie to give this traditional old Beijing snack the new trendy fillings-popped purple sweet potato and brushed cheese. A lot of praise.
According to Wu Yinjie, the most common fillings for fairy bean cakes are red beans and mung beans. This time it is improved on the original basis. The crust is made of milk crisp, which is crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. The purple sweet potato is sweet and the cheese is salty. From the taste to the taste, it is rich and three-dimensional. "Older customers sound like fairy bean cakes and have emotions, while younger customers sound like popped purple potatoes and brushed cheese. They want to try." For the entire audience It's all very pleasing.
Wu Yinjie, a native of Shanghai and a native of West Point, has loved to eat xiaolongbao, fried dumplings, and pot stickers since he was a child. He knows the true charm and authentic taste of Shanghai and Chinese dim sum. After going to the United States five years ago, he found the Chinese dim sum and There is still a considerable gap in China. Because I want to pass on Chinese culture through food, I studied under Chen Kaiping, who was a special-grade pastry chef in China.
"There are too few dim sum shops in the U.S. that can achieve the same level as in China, and there are fewer people who want to learn how to make Chinese dim sum. I really enjoy the feeling that customers have a good meal and give me direct feedback. I am not just because it is a job. To do it, but to do it because we want the craftsmanship and the culture carried by each snack to be passed down."
Word of mouth in the online shopping circle
The effort pays off. From moon cakes to youth leagues to fairy bean cakes, different dim sums can always be the "first" in the market, taking the lead in launching new Internet celebrity products, grasping the hearts of young people.
Wu Yinjie said that constantly trying new things and surprises young people is his motivation for persisting in improvement.
At the same time, we can stick to the spirit of craftsmanship, maintain unrelenting production standards, and ensure that the quality of the ingredients is good.
Thanks to the persistence in quality and taste, different dim sum business continued to thrive during the epidemic, and even cooperated with online distribution platforms to sell delicacies to all parts of the United States.
Taking into account the people's hoarding demand, it also specially introduced snacks suitable for freezing, and expanded Cantonese-style snacks such as shrimp dumplings and siu mai.
"Although the price of raw materials has risen, our selling price has not risen. We have provided quick-frozen and home delivery, and we have persisted until now." It was also during the epidemic that more people were attracted by different snacks through online shopping, one after another on social media. The posting of pictures and texts for sharing has created new development space and opportunities.
Wu Yinjie said that he thanked the epidemic for allowing more and more diners to recognize and like different dim sum, and it also made him more determined to bring forth the new.
Although it has been imitated in the fiercely competitive catering market, "I really think this is a good thing. It is a driving force for other businesses and the entire industry: only our family sells Chinese dim sum. Everyone knows how to understand dim sum. It is very limited, but if they are all sold, it will definitely increase everyone's understanding of dim sum. In fact, it is the joint efforts of the merchants to promote the Chinese food culture."
Robot serving food gimmick
Leung Kaiwen, who specializes in Shanghai snacks and has opened two restaurants in New York and NSW, decided to open a third store "Lobster 3" during the epidemic when his colleagues chose to wait and see, and launched a robot waiter, on the one hand, as a long-term The way of saving manpower, on the other hand, is more in line with the requirements of consumers for hygiene and safety in the post-epidemic era. After hearing that the waiter is a robot, many customers make a special trip to find out.
Liang Kaiwen said that after predicting that the epidemic should become optimistic this summer, he decided to open a store half a year earlier. Caught off guard".
Because people’s consumption habits have been changed by the epidemic, after starting to eat in, he also wanted to minimize contact and avoid the risk of cross-infection. He especially spent a huge amount of money to order robots with Chinese and English language settings from China to serve as waiters, who can welcome guests. You can also pick up dishes and move between the kitchen and the dining table, minimizing the contact between people.
"Customers are very curious about it, especially young customers." Liang Kaiwen said that the reason for positioning to make Shanghai snacks was because both Chinese and foreigners like to eat soup-style food, which is suitable for all ages. The customer base is wide, and the first two stores that have been open for several years have also laid a solid foundation for the new store’s technology, management and marketing. Now the introduction of robots has made the store more attention. "The changes brought about by the epidemic and the thinking it triggered cover all aspects. As an industry operator, we should adapt to the needs and consumption habits of customers in the post-epidemic era in daily operations, such as safe and hygienic services, healthy and fresh ingredients, and attract more customers with high-quality services. Customers and keep them.” (Liu Daqi)