Silver carp restaurants go viral in Changsha, 400 a year Why has ordinary silver carp become a hit?

Sanxiang Metropolis Daily, December 22 (reporter Pan Xianxuan intern Chen Yuling) chili fried meat, small stir-fried yellow beef, chopped pepper fish head... In Changsha, where food is everywhere, Internet celebrity cuisines emerge in an endless stream, and almost every year there will be one or more popular dishes. On December 22, the Sanxiang Metropolis Daily reporter learned that the once unknown Hunan cabbage silver carp has become a popular star dish in Changsha's catering industry this year, and in just over a year, restaurants with silver carp as the signature have blossomed everywhere in Changsha, with as many as 400 restaurants, and most of the silver carp restaurants are newly opened this year. Why did silver carp suddenly become popular?

Survey: There are 400 silver carp restaurants in Changsha

Cooking small two silver carp, Cheng Shifu wax silver carp, Li Ji wax silver carp, Xujiazhuang wax silver carp, Wan Treasurer wax silver carp... Have you found that in the streets and alleys of Changsha, many famous silver carp restaurants have recently emerged?

"On Fuyuan Road near our community, there are two restaurants named after silver carp, one is called Cooking Little Two Silver Carp, one is called Fu Ji Wax Silver Carp, the two restaurants are only a few hundred meters apart, business is very good, go there to eat on weekends, basically have to queue." Mr. Liu, who lives in Wanguo City, Kaifu District, Changsha City, told reporters.

On December 22, a reporter from Sanxiang Metropolis Daily searched on the Meituan APP and found that there were 97 restaurants in Changsha with catfish as its signature name, and more than 200 restaurants with silver carp dishes. And this is only the access to the network promotion can search for the store situation.

Cheng Yinglong, 34, is the founder of The Silver Carp and one of the first caterers to open a silver carp restaurant in Changsha. At the end of June 2019, Cheng Yinglong and a friend partnered to open a restaurant in Mapoling, Changsha, in order to make it easier for consumers to remember the characteristics of the restaurant, when taking the name, first consider writing the name of the dish into the store name. Cheng Yinglong said that he is a native of Ningxiang and likes to eat silver carp, this home-cooked dish many people will make at home, and the taste of the home is not tired, so he decided to write catfish into the store signboard.

"I didn't expect that silver carp suddenly became a hit, the business is very good, in 2019 we opened 6 stores in Changsha, and by December this year, the number of stores has been 19." Cheng Yinglong said that after his silver carp restaurant became popular, similar restaurants quickly emerged and became a direction for many caterers to start a business. "Some peers have done research before, and there are no less than 400 restaurants named after silver carp in Changsha, both brand chain stores and smaller mom-and-pop shops, most of which are newly opened in the second half of this year."

Tracking: Affordable and next meal has become the main reason for popularity

For many Hunan people, in the cold winter wax month, smoked bacon is indispensable, and the wax silver carp is one of the most common wax products.

In Cheng Yinglong's view, the reason why the dish of silver carp is widely favored by consumers and quickly become popular is mainly because this dish is cheap and cooked, and Hunan people like to eat wax flavor, which is more in line with the taste of Hunan people.

For the cooking of silver carp, changsha silver carp restaurants are much the same, a smoked silver carp in the water to soften the pot, out of the pot still keep a complete one, plated with tempeh, garlic drizzled, dried peppers, and finally drizzled with boiling oil. Judging from the taste, the fish is tight and flavorful, relatively spicy, and very delicious.

In terms of price, the reporter learned that the current pricing of the dish of silver carp in various restaurants is generally 38 yuan, and the price is very affordable. "One fish, three people, nine bowls of rice is the slogan of my store, the restaurant takes the cheap catering route, the cost performance is very high, and the per capita consumption is more than 40 yuan." Cheng Yinglong said that in addition, silver carp is available all year round, easy to process, store and transport, which also provides a possibility for the emergence of a large number of silver carp restaurants.

"From last year to this year, the price of pork has been relatively high, and the price of silver carp is very low, so even if the price of silver carp dishes is cheap, the merchants are profitable." The relevant person in charge of Changsha Nongjia Liuxiang Food Co., Ltd. believes that the low price of silver carp as a raw material is also an important reason why many catering stores are aiming at this product.

Market: The popularity of the dish has led to an increase in the price of silver carp

With the popularity of silver carp restaurants, silver carp as a raw material has risen sharply in the past year, and the orders for silver carp received by some wax food production plants in Hunan have doubled several times, and the supply exceeds demand.

"In order to better control the quality of the silver carp and the stability of the supply, we buy the fresh silver carp ourselves and smoke it in our own factory. A year ago, the purchase price of fresh silver carp was 2.2 yuan / catty, and now it has risen to 3.6 yuan / catty, and we now have to enter 20,000 silver carp a month. Master Cheng La silver carp boss Wu Weibiao said.

"In previous years, the maximum number of silver carp sold by our factory was 20,000 or 30,000 a year, but this year's sales have reached 100,000." Now in a state of basically outstripping supply, restaurants need to order at least 5 days in advance. The relevant person in charge of Changsha Nongjia Liuxiang Food Co., Ltd. introduced.

Industry insiders said that for silver carp restaurants, how to ensure the stability of the supply of silver carp raw materials has become a big test, "in the future, silver carp restaurants will definitely have a reshuffle tide." ”