Has the spring of the overseas Chinese restaurant industry arrived after the ban on "closing the city" is lifted?

　　China Overseas Network July 2 electrical

problem: after the lifting of "closed city" ban, overseas Chinese food industry to spring yet?

　　"Recently, our restaurants are getting busier and busier, and business has started to improve significantly." said Hu Xiaojun, chairman of the U.S.-China Catering Industry Association and founder of the Chinese restaurant chain "Old Sichuan".

Just after a two-week trip to investigate the status quo of Chinese food in the United States, he has devoted himself to the daily business of the restaurant non-stop.

　　With the large-scale vaccination of vaccines and the development of epidemic prevention habits among the people, overseas epidemics have been controlled to a certain extent.

Recently, many overseas Chinese catering companies said that the improvement of the epidemic has brought improvement in business, but they are also facing many challenges.

　　With the easing of the epidemic in the United States, the passenger flow of Mama Chang restaurant dine-in has been steadily increasing since the end of May.

"Weekends and holidays can almost recover to 70%-80% before the epidemic." said Peter Zhang, the restaurant manager.

He believes that the recovery of business is affected by many factors such as region and source of customers. "Now it is normal to be good or not, and everything is still waiting and watching."

　　In Vienna, Austria, the Sichuan restaurant "Sichuan Food Fragrance" has always attracted a large number of local diners.

The proprietress Mrs. Zhang said that due to the epidemic, the restaurant's business was not as hot as before after the restaurant resumed business.

　　"Tourists cannot come in, and locals have to provide a negative test for the new crown virus when they dine." Mrs. Zhang said that there are relatively few diners, and everyone is still worried about increasing the risk of infection.

In addition, most of the people who choose to pack are Chinese, and most of the people who come to eat in the store are locals from Austria.

　　The epidemic has caused many people to face an unemployment crisis, and some countries have introduced "unemployment subsidies."

Today, the restart of the catering industry requires a lot of labor, and many Chinese catering companies are also facing the problem of excessive labor costs.

　　"I have more than 60 employees who have applied for subsidies, and only a few people are currently working." Li Biao, head of Los Angeles Kangnian Seafood Restaurant, said that the epidemic has left business in Chinatown deserted, coupled with rent pressure and labor costs after resumption of work. The 101-year-old store is facing a crisis of closing.

　　In Hu Xiaojun's view, the current restart of Chinese restaurants has two main challenges: labor and epidemic prevention measures.

"The current subsidy mechanism of the U.S. government has increased the difficulty of hiring people; the epidemic has repeated, and we must also pay more attention to epidemic prevention. These two points are very important."

　　In the face of the epidemic, Chinese catering companies have shown their "superior powers."

Some people strive for perfection in their business and introduce special dishes; some others take a different approach and make bold innovations in service.

　　In view of the characteristics of the diners, Hu Xiaojun carefully analyzed and improved the menu.

"Traditional Chinese dishes are mainly introduced for older customers; young people are more interested in popular dishes in recent years, and they are also the main consumer." Hu Xiaojun said that for American customers, the essence of American Chinese food is also retained. In addition, Some homemade dishes have been developed as a feature.

　　He believes that the Chinese catering industry is currently facing challenges, but there are also many business opportunities.

"We are still optimistic about the future of Chinese food. The opportunity is reserved for those who are prepared."

　　Zhu Maozuo, president of the Austrian Vienna Catering Association and owner of the Hero Hotel, has seen a rise in restaurant traffic during the epidemic, thanks to high-tech means.

“I opened a new store three years ago, all using QR codes to order food; two years ago, I introduced a robot to deliver food, which came in handy during the epidemic.

　　Taking advantage of the time of closing the city, Sun Wenxiong, the person in charge of the Chinese restaurant "Shu Yuan" in Paris, France, rented the second floor of the building, renovated it into "Shu Zong Sanwei Old Hot Pot", and renovated the open area at the door.

With the further opening of the French public places restriction order, he is full of confidence in the revitalization of the catering industry.

　　"The'severe winter' of the epidemic is about to pass, and the'extreme cold' of the catering industry has just begun. If you don't find a way out in the groping, you will perish in the frame of old thinking." Peter Zhang wrote in the circle of friends.

In the latest photo, he is squatting in a field of organic garlic stalks, his eyes full of joy of discovering high-quality ingredients.