Recently, the book "China Catering Annual Observation and Big Data 2023" jointly produced by the China Federation of Commerce and Meituan was officially launched. Based on cases and data, the book interviews nearly 100 industry leaders, and presents the innovation and development trend of China's catering industry in 2023.
As one of the interviewed entrepreneurs, Xu Guohua, Chairman of Xu Kee Seafood, shared his thoughts on issues such as industrial supply chain, food innovation and sub-brand incubation. Xu Guohua said that policies and capital should encourage and support more large-scale and chained catering enterprises, "because it will have long-term ism, be more standardized, pay more attention to quality and environmental protection, and be more willing to promote the benign development of the upstream chain."
It is reported that Xu Ji Seafood was founded in 1999 and currently has nearly 60 directly operated stores in Shanghai, Shenzhen, Wuhan, Xi'an, Changsha and other cities.
Deep plowing: The supply chain goes deep into the origin to ensure the quality of ingredients
At the beginning of its establishment, Xu Guohua established the concept of "fresh taste, timely food" for Xu Kee Seafood. Among them, "original taste" means that the dish should be able to eat the original taste of the ingredients, pay attention to freshness, rather than relying solely on seasonings; "Timely" means paying attention to the season, and the ingredients of the season are the freshest and fattest.
In order to achieve the ultimate freshness, Xu Ji Seafood has also formulated a "strict" rule, that is, "buy the day, sell the day, cook the meal, and sell the meal", the ingredients must be sold out on the day, the fresh goods must be stored for up to 18 hours, and the seafood refrigerator has zero inventory.
However, all the "persistence" on ingredients is inseparable from Xu Kee Seafood's deep cultivation of the food supply chain. In fact, Xu Ji Seafood's predecessor was to make food supply, "originally has natural genes and advantages." Xu Guohua introduced that in the procurement of upstream ingredients, it has been establishing cooperative relations with the origin to ensure the quality and freshness of the ingredients.
In order to ensure the stability of the supply chain, Xu Ji Seafood has sent employees to high-quality origins at home and abroad, and established its own air and sea logistics and cold chain distribution system. Overseas, Xu Ji Seafood has successively set up long-term fixed seafood procurement centers in Canada, France, Spain, Russia, Australia and other countries. In China, the ingredients purchased by Xu Ji Seafood have basically achieved 100% from the place of origin.
"So far, from Bohai Bay, East China Sea, to Beihai... Every season, wherever there is better seafood, we will source the freshest and fattest seafood locally. Xu Guohua said.
In addition, relying on the mature supply chain system, Xu Ji Seafood has been able to implement the strategy of "supply and production, production and sales" in the procurement of ingredients, and ensure that consumers eat seasonal seafood through accurate calculation. With the gradual expansion of the scale of Xu Ji seafood, the development of chain in turn promotes the bargaining power upstream of the supply chain and promotes the popularization of high-end ingredients.
Xu Guohua introduced that in 2022, Xu Ji Seafood once auctioned 50 tons of king crab, and the unit price per ton was hundreds of yuan cheaper than other purchasers. Nowadays, Xu Ji seafood is purchased abroad, and often uses auction methods, taking dozens of tons at a time, and strengthening the brand through scale advantages.
On the other side of the coin, the deep source supply chain system also promotes the healthy and sustainable development of upstream aquaculture and fishing ecology. "Under the requirements of the national quality department and the cooperation of chain enterprises, upstream aquaculture and fishing enterprises will have a more long-term spirit." Xu Guohua said.
In recent years, Xu Ji seafood has gradually moved to the national and even global markets, Xu Guohua began to think: in the future, the target will be placed on the catering industry, and the resources accumulated for decades such as direct procurement and cold chain transportation will be exported to the same industry to promote the healthy development of the entire industry.
Such an upgrade obviously needs to be supported by a more intelligent supply chain management system. In the enterprise digital intelligence platform built by Xu Kee Seafood, the smart supply chain is an important part. Xu Guohua hopes to use digital technology to create a more efficient, fast and intelligent supply chain system, which will add more confidence to his "zero inventory of seafood refrigerators".
Growth: Customer-centric, focus on enhancing the sense of value
Always polishing products from the customer's point of view is one of the key factors for Xu Kee Seafood to lead the market trend. This customer-centric concept is embodied in the shaping of customers' "sense of value" in Xu Kee Seafood.
"In the catering industry, whether it is high-end ingredients or mass ingredients, when developing products, we must pay attention to three elements: the first is to make a sense of value and make customers feel that they are worth the money; The second is to give the enterprise its own characteristics; The third is to be profitable. Xu Guohua said what he had thought about for many years.
The sense of value is one of the important emotional factors that drive customer consumption. According to statistics, even in first-tier cities, when the per capita single consumption exceeds 100 yuan, consumers will automatically enter a state of rational thinking, if you want to break this rational thinking, catering businesses have to find emotional "weapons".
The sense of value and acquisition is one of the tools to break rationality, in simple words, to let consumers shift from price thinking to value thinking. From this point of view, Xu Ji Seafood refines the mass ingredients, on the surface, it is to use the characteristics of the ingredients to skillfully match and change, with creative plating, so that the mass ingredients are transformed into exquisite and delicious dishes, in fact, it is to make the mass ingredients more "valued" and let consumers obtain a sense of happiness.
In Xu Guohua's view, the excavation of "sense of value" is the characteristic that distinguishes Xu Ji Seafood from its peers. Xu Guohua said: "You create value for consumers, consumers recognize your value, are willing to pay, you have pricing power in the market." ”
Not only that, Xu Ji Seafood also applies this idea of "sense of value" mining to the selection of characteristic raw materials. In Xu Guohua's view, the mainland is a large and vast land, different regions, geomorphology, climate, the formation of different eating habits and culture, each place of ingredients have different characteristics, excavating the characteristics of ingredients, is the process of creating a sense of value for customers.
In Xu Guohua's hometown Xiangyin, there is a characteristic Zhangshugang chili, which can be sold for up to two or three hundred yuan a catty, even if it is a large-scale purchase such as Xu Ji seafood, the price is fifty or sixty yuan a catty.
Xu Ji Seafood purchases a considerable amount of Zhangshugang chili pepper every year, which is to tap its unique value. Behind the high premium, not only because of the reputation of Zhangshugang pepper, but also because the local area insists on purifying the seeds through cooperation with agricultural experts, ensuring the quality of chili peppers, which ensures that Zhangshugang peppers can always provide a unique "sense of value".
Innovation: Success can only be achieved by not following the old path
If quality ingredients are the foundation of the development of Xu Ji Seafood, the sense of value is the goal, and those praised dishes are the key to promoting Xu Ji Seafood to the whole country. In terms of food development, Xu Ji Seafood attaches the most importance to innovation.
"To get ahead in seafood dishes, the key is to try more dishes." Xu Guohua introduced that Xu Ji Seafood has established food innovation as the core competitiveness of brand development, which not only avoids the vicious competition of price wars, but also blocks the possibility of imitation and follow-up development.
In order to drive food innovation, Xu Kee Seafood has established a product research institute at its headquarters and branches in various local stores. At present, Xu Ji Seafood has formed a food innovation pattern with headquarters research and development as the main and store research and development as the supplement.
In addition to the innovation of dishes, Xu Ji Seafood is also constantly iterating digital innovation marketing methods. For example, Xu Ji Seafood has entered digital platforms such as Meituan, relying on the platform's traffic advantages and marketing potential to reach more consumers. Recently, on Dianping, Xu Ji Seafood has opened the "VR viewing box" function for all stores, which can truly restore the whole picture of the box, and users can feel the box environment more intuitively. This not only helps users book restaurants with confidence, but also reduces the burden on restaurant staff and displays the dining environment of Xu Ji seafood more efficiently.
Xu Ji Seafood also set its sights on diversified brand development paths. In the fall of 2021, in Changsha Yundahui, Xu Ji Seafood launched a high-end brand Blue Qilin store.
Today, the new brand "Blue Qilin" has become a popular check-in destination and is known as a benchmark for high-end dining. The positioning of "Hunan cuisine + seafood" makes Blue Qilin present a diversified appearance, which is widely praised by consumers.
Xu Guohua regarded the launch of "Blue Qilin" as the development path of Xu Ji seafood matrixed brand. "Xu Ji Seafood has been rooted in Changsha for 24 years, and after a certain stage of development, it is necessary to reunite the brand potential of Xu Ji Seafood through a high-end brand." Xu Guohua believes that this "high-end defense" is similar to the flywheel effect, Xu Kee Seafood endorses the brand of Blue Qilin, and Blue Kirin allows Xu Ji Seafood to achieve brand value-added.
With the overall improvement of the catering industry, Xu Guohua is full of confidence in the future. In his opinion, as long as catering brands give full play to their advantages and characteristics, do in-depth and thorough, development is a natural thing, which can also promote the industry to form healthy competition. (Contributed by: Hunan Federation of Non-local Chamber of Commerce)