China News Service, Hong Kong, April 3: Title: Chief Operating Officer of Maxim’s Group: Not afraid of short-term pain and determined to develop in Hong Kong
China News Service reporter Dai Menglan
“When times are difficult, the most important thing is to bite the bullet and deal with it.” Talking about the challenges brought to the local catering industry by Hong Kong people’s recent “migration northward consumption”, Maxim’s Group Chief Operating Officer (Hong Kong and Macau) Xiao Dewei recently accepted the Sino-Singaporean In an interview, the reporter said that the catering industry must provide good products and services, keep pace with the times and optimize operating strategies. "No matter how the external environment changes, it must first do a good job in itself."
During the Easter holiday that just passed, Hong Kong people had a strong desire to travel north. Data from the Immigration Department of the Hong Kong SAR Government shows that from March 28 to April 1, more than 1.9 million Hong Kong residents left the country for the mainland. While attending an elderly care event recently, Xiao Dewei shared his thoughts with the media on topics such as the transformation and upgrading of Hong Kong's catering industry and the development strategy of Maxim's Group.
Maxim's Group Chief Operating Officer (Hong Kong and Macau) Xiao Dewei recently accepted an interview with a reporter from China News Service. Photo by reporter Chen Yongnuo
"To make catering, it is not just about delicious food, but also about good service." Xiao Dewei said that there are now a lot of discussions about the service attitude and quality of Hong Kong's catering industry. He believes that some people's negative impression of Hong Kong's catering industry is caused by online public opinion. Amplifying the impact, I believe many Hong Kong colleagues will still insist on making food and services with heart. Hong Kong's catering industry is currently facing short-term pain, and practitioners must consider the long term when making decisions.
He introduced that Maxim's Group is also plagued by a shortage of waiters, but this problem can be alleviated by introducing technologies such as mobile phone scanning QR code ordering and smart robot food delivery. "Some people may ask, what should I do if the elderly don't know how to order food on their mobile phones?" Xiao Dewei explained that the company has invested special resources in training frontline employees to become "elder-friendly employees." He smiled and said, don't underestimate the elderly. Many elderly people are "Hao Jin" (meaning "so awesome" in Cantonese), and the waiter can teach them once.
In addition, Xiao Dewei, who has a financial background, attaches great importance to cost-benefit analysis in operational strategies. He said that if the food in Hong Kong is delicious, cheap and cost-effective, it can attract customers back; at the same time, if costs are controlled, restaurants can also make profits. He believes that all problems cannot be attributed to the competition for customers and the economic environment of the mainland catering industry. In the face of difficulties, "the key is how we deal with it ourselves."
Maxim's Group Chief Operating Officer (Hong Kong and Macau) Xiao Dewei recently attended the "Long Live Tea O2O" elderly care event. Photo provided by interviewee
Starting from the opening of the first high-end French restaurant in the basement of the Landmark Plaza in Central, Hong Kong in 1956, Maxim's Group currently has approximately 2,000 branches in mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, and Southeast Asia. When asked about the group's current development strategy, Xiao Dewei said frankly that he hopes to maintain "steady formation" (Cantonese, meaning "steady") development and control every investment and cost while launching more new products and services. expenditure. As a company originating from Hong Kong, no matter how far the company goes in the future, it will firmly use Hong Kong as its base and share Hong Kong's catering experience with its mainland and overseas counterparts.
He introduced that in the mainland cities of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, Maxim's Group has deployed more than 200 stores and built a production center in Jiangmen City, Guangdong Province. Next, it will "practice the basic skills" to seize new opportunities in the mainland market and realize Better development. Although Maxim's has only been in Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia and other countries for more than ten years, the Cantonese dim sum in the store is very popular locally. "Many local owners and customers have taken the initiative to ask us, why don't we open a store?" he explained. , there are many factors to consider when entering overseas, and you need to do it step by step. If you don’t do it well, it will affect the brand; if you do it well, it will take a lot of time to prepare.
"Our belief is that tomorrow will be better." During the interview, Xiao Dewei repeatedly emphasized the need to maintain confidence. He said that despite the challenges, as long as the catering industry management and employees work together to provide good food and services, they will surely reap rewards in the future. (over)