Total No. 3908
Author | Restaurant boss internal reference internal ginseng Jun
Closed in June,
Mixian suffers the most!
A few days ago, Nei Sen released "The Worst First Half of the Year! 1.05 million restaurants went bankrupt, the number is close to the sum of last year", revealing the grim situation of the catering industry in the first half of this year, and the backstage has also resonated with countless catering practitioners.
This is not just a statistical statistic, from the feedback received, Nei Sanjun felt not only hardship and helplessness, but also this unprecedented pressure and challenge, which appeared in almost every catering category.
And the data from the restaurant eye reveals a deeper insight - the opening and closing of more than 70 catering categories across the country in June, and the performance of the rice noodle category is particularly bleak.
At present, the total number of rice noodle shops in the country is more than 130,000, and the number of rice noodle shops in June has decreased by 3,234 compared with May, making it the category with the most unsatisfactory opening and closing situation among all categories, ranking first from the bottom.
Interestingly, in June, the number of restaurants opened in the national catering category, noodle restaurants ranked first, and the current number of stores in the country is more than 390,000, an increase of 28,424 over the previous month.
In fact, there have been clues for a long time.
In April this year, 40-year-old Hong Kong actor Cai Qijun became popular, not because of his works, but because he admitted that he had lost millions in business, and 17 stores, including more than a dozen rice noodle shops, had closed down.
"Hani Millet Noodles" founded by Cai Qijun is a rice noodle brand of the Hani ethnic group in Yunnan, with signature dishes such as tomato and pork cartilage rice noodles, Hani chicken soup rice noodles, and secret hot and sour beef rice noodles.
In fact, the rice noodle shop has opened more than a dozen branches, mainly in Guangdong, and the business was once very good, Cai Qijun was also known as the "catering giant", but it seems that the turnover has plummeted after the epidemic, and now the more than ten stores have been wiped out.
The latest news, Cai Qijun has changed to a roadside stall and sold boneless chicken feet and ready-to-eat pig's feet.
In addition, Nei Sanjun found out from Xiaohongshu that the well-known rice noodle chain brand "Khalid Mixian" has also recently closed stores one after another.
I still remember that when the Khalid rice noodles first came out, the whole Urumqi was crazy, and netizens said, "It's always a queue!" Line up! Line up!! I feel that eating a bowl of Khalid beef rice noodles can blow it to my friends for a week. ”
Now, Khalid has changed its main business to moon cakes, zongzi, bread, pastries, etc., and now there is only one rice noodle shop left in Urumqi.
In addition, the last branch of Hong Kong's online celebrity rice noodle chain "Yumijia Fish Soup Rice Noodle King" in Tai Kok Tsui also closed in June. The shop has been open in the local area for more than ten years, and its signature is fish curd rice noodles, and many regular customers regret its closure.
The closure notice said that the closure was due to the expiration of the lease, and a store clerk said that the specific reason was unknown, and the salary was paid on time every month, but they also noticed that the business volume had dropped significantly, a difference of nearly half, and the current revenue situation was even worse than the epidemic time.
37,000 closed!
The rout began with the cross-bridge rice noodles
Taking stock of the category of rice noodles, you can't bypass Yunnan's special delicacy - cross-bridge rice noodles.
As one of China's fast food giants on a par with Lanzhou ramen, Shaxian snacks, and yellow braised chicken rice, the stores of cross-bridge rice noodles have also spread all over the streets and alleys of the country, and it is no exaggeration to say that it was also a popular Internet celebrity food back then.
However, according to the data of the enterprise investigation, among the related enterprises in the catering category of the industry to which they belong, although there are currently more than 65,000 cross-bridge rice noodles, only 28,000 are still in existence and in business, that is, 37,000 cross-bridge rice noodles have gone out of business.
Let's take a look at the new increase in the bridge rice noodles from 2017 to the present, almost declining year by year, and the trend is going all the way down. In August last year, the entry #Why there are fewer and fewer cross-bridge rice noodle stores# was also on the hot search.
This decrease in the number is due to a combination of factors. And in general, it is the lack of product power.
This is reflected in the fact that cross-bridge rice noodles not only pay attention to freshly made and eaten, but also require a certain amount of dining time and environment. In the fast-paced city life, many consumers prefer to choose fast and convenient food and beverage formats.
In addition, cross-bridge rice noodles require a variety of ingredients and complex soup bases, which not only increases the cost of operation and time, but also makes it difficult to standardize and replicate on a large scale. Also, the taste is too simple, and the taste is light. Today's consumers are more inclined to pungent spicy flavors.
For various reasons, the brand effect of cross-bridge rice noodles is relatively weak, and there are not a few head brands so far, so it is difficult to quickly promote and occupy the market across the country. On the contrary, more and more cross-bridge rice noodle shops are facing business difficulties and even have to close their doors.
Another "technology and hard work"?
They all belong to fast food, why is there such a big gap between rice noodles and noodle restaurants?
The downhill path of the cross-bridge rice line reflects the common problems faced by the entire rice line track.
1. Seasonal influences. Perhaps summer is here, temperatures are rising, and consumers generally prefer light, cool foods. Noodle-based meals, such as cold noodles and cold skins, cater to this demand. At the same time, the products that noodle restaurants can offer are more diverse, which can meet the taste needs of different consumers. However, the taste of rice noodles is relatively simple, and traditional rice noodles restaurants may not be enough in terms of taste innovation.
Second, science and technology and hard work. The impression of "technology and hard work" on the market has become more and more popular. Many consumers complain that the current cross-bridge rice noodles are only left with the taste of flavor: "The previous rice noodles were fragrant in the mouth after eating. Now the rice noodles are fragrant after eating! ”
3. Mom-and-pop shops have a weak ability to resist risks. Although flexible and low-cost, most of the rice noodle shops in China operate in a mom-and-pop model, but they may be relatively weak in terms of brand building, making it difficult to compete with large chain restaurant brands, and in addition, they are more likely to become "cannon fodder" even in the face of unforeseen changes in the external environment.
For example, during the mask era, due to the sharp drop in customer traffic and the impact of lockdown measures, many mom-and-pop rice noodle shops faced difficulties and even had to temporarily close or permanently close their operations.
From the new catering enterprises in Mixian in recent years, you can get a glimpse of one or two. The number of new rice noodle restaurant enterprises is highly correlated with changes in the external environment, and when the market environment deteriorates or consumer demand declines, the number of newly opened restaurants will also decrease.
Fourth, rice noodles are more natural and suitable for pre-packaging. In recent years, rice noodle pre-packaged food has developed rapidly, and many brands have also emerged. Although there are no top brands, the important thing is that they replace the scene of fast dining with dine-in fast rice noodles.
To put it more directly, the taste and convenience of dine-in rice noodles are no longer absolutely attractive, while pre-packaged foods can provide a similar taste, and are also more convenient and cheaper. Especially when more and more savvy customers can eat the ingredients and soups in the restaurant are also pre-made packages, the sense of value of dine-in is even lower.
rice noodle
Is there still a future?
It can be said that Mixian has now entered a period of high-speed reshuffle.
Especially for some non-chain rice noodle shops. In recent years, many new entrants have poured into the market, and the rice noodle catering market has expanded rapidly, resulting in extremely fierce competition. With the oversupply, many stores that are unable to stand out from the competition are at risk of going out of business.
Some chain rice noodle shops with brand influence occupy a dominant position in the market. Under the Matthew effect, small and medium-sized rice noodle shops that lack brand influence are increasingly marginalized in the market.
But it is also important to see that there are many new changes in the market, which are injecting new vitality into this track. For example –
It is difficult to high-end rice noodles, but regional products can be explored. In recent years, local characteristics have been prominent in catering Internet celebrity products. As far as the rice noodle category is concerned, the Jiangxi rice noodle track has ushered in a period of rapid development, and some chain brands have also begun to emerge, such as Uncle Li Nanchang Mixed Noodles, Zigu Road Mixed Noodles and other brands have more than 200 stores.
While local characteristics are rising, the track is also becoming more and more subdivided. For example, casserole rice noodles are not only considered a healthy and nutritious meal, but also "anti-prefabricated", and the unique advantages of casserole have helped rice noodles regain their "pot gas" and bring customers a better dining experience.
And pickled pepper rice noodles have attracted a large number of consumers with their unique sour and spicy taste. Pickled pepper rice noodles not only have the traditional sour and hot taste, but also can be added with different ingredients, different meats, seafood and vegetables to make the product richer and more layered.
And the head chain brands are also trying to be younger. For example, Ah Xiang Rice Noodles tries a new store type, which is different from the design of common rice noodle shops, with a dark brown background wall, a green three-dimensional Logo light box, and white fonts in Chinese and English, just like the "Nai Xue" of the rice noodle track. This makeover is closer to younger consumers. Winshang.com reported that the customer flow and turnover of Ah Xiang's new store have nearly doubled compared with before the reinstallation.
In any case, the rice noodle category is still a category of just-in-demand fast food, and there are still market opportunities for it. Although there are some challenges at the moment, with proper adjustments and innovations, rice noodle shops can still find their place in the market.