China Overseas Chinese Network, May 20 Question: Did the cold wind of the epidemic "blow down" the time-honored brand?

How to keep the memory of Chinese taste buds?

　　Where there are Chinese people in the world, there are Chinese restaurants.

　　"The ancestral country is in our taste buds." This is the best evaluation of Chinese food culture.

Several fragrant home-cooked dishes have retained guests and fed generations of Chinese.

However, due to the impact of the epidemic, the fragrant fireworks of gourmet food are fading away, and many Chinese restaurants overseas are still in the "cold winter" and are struggling.

The picture shows a chef at a Chinese restaurant cutting siu mei in Toronto's Chinatown.

Photo by Yu Ruidong

Time-honored Chinese restaurant regrettably exits

　　"The epidemic has been repeated again and again, and we have lost money for one day in business, which is really unsustainable."

　　At the beginning of 2022, Kangnian Seafood Restaurant, the last large Chinese restaurant in Chinatown, San Francisco, announced its closure. This century-old restaurant with a history of 1,000 people has not survived the impact of the epidemic.

　　The boss, Li Biao, said that although he was reluctant to give up, Kang Nian was overwhelmed by the monthly rent, insurance and other hard expenses and had to close his school.

　　"Under the superposition of many difficulties, the Chinese restaurant industry is facing unprecedented difficulties." Wang Tieniu, vice president of the American Chinese Restaurant Association, said that in 2019, there were about 54,000 Chinese restaurants in the United States. After two years of the epidemic, there are less than 40,000 remaining. .

"At present, Chinese restaurants in the market are basically struggling on the verge of losing money and not losing money, and they will close their doors one day."

The picture shows the dining crowd at Nanhua Tea Room, a well-known restaurant in New York, which has never been seen before.

Photo by Yan Jiaying Source: American "World Journal"

　　He introduced that due to the financial pressure brought about by the epidemic, the Hong Kong-style barbecue restaurant "Sanhe Seafood Roasted Meat" in Irvine has officially closed on May 1.

There is also another old Cantonese restaurant in Quantong Square, which also decided to close in early July.

"It's a shame that this signature restaurant has a history of nearly 25 years and carries the memories of Cantonese cuisine for generations of Chinese."

cost?

inherited?

Chinese food practitioners are "a mess"

　　Why do many Chinese restaurants seem to be prosperous, but they still end up closing?

　　The traditional catering industry has always had a saying of "three highs and one low": high rent, high labor costs, high food prices and low profit margins.

Wang Tieniu took the Sichuan restaurant he owns as an example. In the past, the profit of operating a restaurant was about 20%, but now the cost of ingredients has risen to 4.5%, and the salary of employees is 40%. In addition to the rent, the profit is only left in the end. It's less than halfway down, and it can't be sustained at all.

　　Mr. Zhu, the owner of "Tianxianglou" in Orange County, Southern California, also said that due to the shortage of chefs and ingredients, coupled with high rent and costs, there may be a fault in the future Chinese restaurant operators operating in the United States.

　　Influenced by his father, he learned to cook.

"80% of authentic Chinese restaurants rely on the craftsmanship of the master chef." Mr. Zhu said that old Chinese dishes are very particular, such as Jiangsu and Zhejiang dishes, such as grilled sashimi with spring onion, braised fish chin, braised hoof, and Dongpo pork. The requirements are very high, and it is necessary to gradually master the essence of Chinese food in the "running-in" with time through the "heart-to-mouth" experience transfer.

Customers are eating in a Chinese restaurant in Chinatown, Toronto, Canada.

Photo by Yu Ruidong

　　"But for various reasons, apprentices are becoming more and more difficult to find." Mr. Zhu pointed out that in the early days, his father often brought apprentices to the United States to help.

But factoring in costs, taxes and living expenses, fewer apprentices are willing to come to the United States.

"As for help cooks in the United States, although they have chef training, knife skills and baking, they are all good, but cooking skills are not enough. Because the cooking time and heat of Chinese food are different, it can't be quantified like cooking Western food."

How to enable "self-rescue mode"?

　　Wang Tieniu said that although many Chinese restaurants have developed online takeaway business, due to the monopoly of the takeaway platform, the delivery price is as low as 40%, the profit is meager, and the effect is very small.

　　In the face of huge survival pressure, only by changing the business model can there be a chance for survival.

The picture shows a delivery man delivering food to a Chinese restaurant in Toronto.

Photo by China News Agency reporter Yu Ruidong

　　Lucas Sin, a young Chinese living in New York, is trying a new business model, hoping to save Chinese restaurants in the United States by learning from the local American food culture and promoting fusion dishes.

　　He and his companions acquired a family-owned Chinese restaurant that was facing bankruptcy, transformed it into an American-style Chinese take-out restaurant, and chose to continue to cooperate with the older generation of owners.

“The older generation of restaurateurs know the customer’s needs and cooking like the back of their hands,” says Lucas, whose goal is to “give back to the previous generation of restaurateurs” to ensure that while these owners retire, the new Chinese restaurant retains their work and continues to thrive in Based on this, new delicacies in line with the trend of the times have been created, such as fried noodles with cheese and cheese.

　　The restaurant industry is one of the occupations that immigrants depend on for survival, and there are even more Chinese restaurants in the United States than McDonald's and KFC combined.

Xiaoqiao hopes that Chinese restaurants can survive the harsh winter and regain their fireworks!

　　(Source of the manuscript: WeChat public account of China Overseas Chinese Network; ID: qiaowangzhongguo; References: Jiefang Daily, Chinanews.com, China Overseas Chinese Network, American Chinese Network, American World Journal, Los Angeles Chinese Network, etc.; Author: Jin Xu)