#高端西餐卖不动了 ##高端西餐厅关店#高端西餐 "disenchantment", what awaits practitioners is an uphill battle.
This article was originally published by Red Meal Network (ID: hongcan18), author: Zhou Lixi; Editor: Wang Xiuqing.
Since the beginning of this year, a number of Western restaurants known as the "ceiling" level have closed one after another, and even Michelin-starred restaurants have not been able to withstand the pressure.
For a time, the rhetoric of the decline of high-end Western food was very loud, "the middle class is less, consumption is downgraded, and Fine Dining is naturally struggling", "The disenchantment of high-end Western food, the so-called service value is far from the high premium"...... In these voices, the business of high-end Western food can be said to have plummeted, and the limelight is no longer in the limelight.
High-end Western food, really not good?
The top stream has closed down one after another!
The high-end western food market is a bit cool
After spending 2,880 yuan on a steak meal for two, Carol finally made up his mind that he would never eat high-end Western food again in the near future.
"In addition to the environment, many parts of the restaurant are not as good as they could be. In particular, the service is not in place, the food is not served and withdrawn in time, and the waiter doesn't even know how long the steak has been cooked, but his attitude is dragging one by one. ”
Carol is a big lover of Western food, and because of her work, she travels to various cities across the country almost every month to taste the food. Recently, she posted on social platforms that many high-end Western restaurants are in vain, and she has been angry many times, and she is really completely disenchanted by Western food this time.
△ Image source: Picture Worm Creative
In the comments section of the post, her voice received many responses. Some netizens said that the production of Western restaurants is becoming more and more perfunctory; There are also people who talk about the price, thinking that it is not worth paying a high price for a meal.
Some Western food practitioners have also felt the change in customers' attitudes towards Western food.
Wang Bin is the Executive Chef of The Georg, a Michelin-starred restaurant, and the first Chinese chef in a Michelin-starred restaurant in the world. Over the years, he has witnessed and experienced first-hand the warm and cold changes in the fine Western food industry.
"The Georg has been 'moving' for most of 2023, so we don't have an intuitive sense of how the external environment is changing. In October 2023, the restaurant reopened for a while, and many people came to check in and dine, but by January 2024, we can feel that customers are coming to the restaurant less often. Wang Bin told the red food network.
△The Georg； Image source: Courtesy of the interviewee
In his opinion, the market of high-end Western food before 2019 was generally good. At that time, people were willing to pay relatively high prices for more refined food and more meticulous service. However, this year, many customers no longer accept such high prices.
Xiao Gang, the person in charge of a high-end western restaurant, also expressed similar feelings to Red Restaurant.com, and he admitted that compared with the past, the repurchase rate of many regular customers in the store has dropped significantly. Reflected in the operating data, the restaurant's total revenue in the first half of the year fell by nearly 3% compared with the same period last year. "Except for some special holidays such as Valentine's Day, restaurants basically don't need to make reservations in advance," said the person in charge.
Hou Decheng, a famous Western food master, has been in the industry for more than 40 years and is known as the "Godfather of Western Food" in Beijing's catering industry. He told Red Restaurant Network that since the second half of last year, high-end Western food has generally encountered a lot of problems, "There are fewer people who make reservations, and even some Western restaurants are forced to close and leave. ”
In the first half of this year, there was no shortage of cases of high-end Western food going out of business across the country.
For example, Opera BOMBANA, a restaurant with a reputation as "Beijing's top Italian cuisine", has an average per capita consumption of more than 1,200 yuan, and was once a "private banquet parlor" for many film and television stars, but announced its closure in mid-April. The restaurant's "landlord", Parkview Green Mall, also issued an announcement saying that Opera BOMBANA had defaulted on rent and other related expenses.
△ Image source: Opera BOMBANA's official public account
AROUND THE SAME TIME, BEIJING'S MICHELIN-STARRED RESTAURANT TIAGO HOME KITCHEN ALSO ABRUPTLY CLOSED. The restaurant, located in INDIGO Mall, was sued for closing its doors without permission and was considered a serious breach of contract by the mall.
In addition, in the past two months, high-end restaurants or brands such as Hina Chú MODERN CUISINE and KOR Shanghai, which were once very popular, have been revealed to have suspended business or closed down.
High-end Western food, why did it fall out of favor?
Why did high-end Western food suddenly fall out of favor this year?
Every family has a scripture that is difficult to read, and the reason why each restaurant fell is different. But on the whole, it is inseparable from the following three factors.
On the one hand, people's consumption habits have changed. The wave of consumption downgrade continues to spread, and the mainstream customers of high-end Western food have become more cautious.
"The economy is down, and people are becoming more rational in consumption. As the main consumer group of Western food, mid-to-high-end customers have a stronger sense of crisis and become more cautious in spending. Yue Biao, the executive chef of the one-Michelin-starred restaurant S Kitchen in Chengdu and Affinité in Shenzhen, told Red Food.com.
△ S Kitchen ; Image source: Courtesy of the interviewee
Wang Bin also said that changes in the external environment are the main reasons why many high-end Western restaurants are unsustainable. Consumers are more rational and sensitive to value than in the past, and some high-priced and low-quality brands have been voted "no" as a result.
"In the past, some influencer restaurants have captured people's hearts with their exaggerated menu presentation and scenography. But now, more than ever, customers are paying attention to the value on their plates and the overall dining experience. Wang Bin said.
On the other hand, in the context of the sharp decline in restaurant customer flow, the originally high opening and operating costs have not been reduced, which has brought more pressure to operators.
"Compared with mass catering, high-end Western food stores tend to be opened in core business districts with higher rents. Unlike some chain restaurants that can introduce central kitchens, pre-cooling chains and smart equipment, the production of high-end Western food is often completed by celebrity chefs and their teams, and the cost of labor is also greater. Hou Decheng said frankly.
△ Image source: Picture Worm Creative
Xiao Gang also told Red Restaurant Network that the higher the grade of the restaurant, the requirements for employees will be increased accordingly, and they will inevitably be given higher wages. For example, the waiter in the restaurant he runs not only needs to be proficient in English, but also needs to participate in the training and assessment of food and wine, and the monthly salary is between 15-18k, while the monthly salary of a sommelier can reach 20k, and the salary of some chefs is even higher. Overall, the average monthly labor cost of the restaurant is as high as 400,000 yuan.
In fact, the total investment in high-end restaurants is beyond the reach of ordinary restaurants. The total investment of some high-end western restaurants often reaches tens of millions, "not only the rent and labor costs, but also the interior design of high-end restaurants." Some restaurants cost millions of dollars for a Steinway piano at the entrance. Xiao Gang said.
In addition, the fierce competition in the high-end catering market is also one of the reasons for the intensification of the reshuffle of high-end Western food.
Taking Shanghai as an example, Red Meal Network has learned that since the second half of 2022, investors have been gathering to open stores in the local area. Some people even spent a lot of money to open several high-end restaurants with an average of more than 1,000 yuan per capita.
At present, in some key business districts in Shanghai, high-end Western restaurants abound. According to incomplete statistics from Red Restaurant.com, Dianping shows that the Bund business district alone has gathered 5 Black Pearl Western restaurants, including Ultraviolet by Paul Pairet, 81/2 Otto e Mezzo BOMBANA, Jean Georges, Ru Sikui Classic Steakhouse, and Mr & Mrs Bund by Paul Pairet, with as many as 30+ Western restaurants with a per capita consumption of more than 300 yuan.
△图片来源:81/2 Eight and a Half BOMBANA官方公众号
However, in the vast number of high-end Western food, many operators and managers are still inexperienced.
Yue Biao observed that for a long time before, many young people and cross-travelers born in the 90s were either influenced by some food programs, documentaries or movies, or had a strong interest in food and art, or returned from overseas studies, and they devoted themselves to this industry with enthusiasm.
"It is true that the addition of some new practitioners has brought fresh blood and vitality to the industry, and some of their production methods and business ideas are worthy of our learning and reference. However, some managers may only participate in the study or work for a short time, and have not been polished and precipitated for a long time. They still lack sufficient experience in store operation management. Yue Biao said regretfully.
This has led to repeated criticism of some high-end Western restaurants.
Tina works for a Sino-foreign joint venture investment bank and has been a frequent customer of high-end Western food. But this year, I have also reduced the frequency of eating Western food. She told Red Meal Network that the more high-end Western food she eats, the more she can find that the dishes in many restaurants tend to be the same.
"Foie gras, white truffle, black gold abalone, king crab, and wagyu beef, basically, these things are casually combined to become the so-called Fine Dining, which does not feel the chef's mind at all, but is like a product made in batches on the assembly line of a factory, with no emotional value at all."
What's more, the competitors of high-end Western restaurants are not just their "peers".
"The competition in the catering industry is fierce, and new forms of catering have sprung up, diverting customers from high-end Western food. For example, in the past 10 years, Chinese high-end catering has been continuously exploring and innovating, and has been recognized by more markets and customers. Liang Chao, executive chef of Beijing Bulgari restaurant, told Red Food.com.
△BVLGARI Beijjing； Image source: Courtesy of the interviewee
As he complained, more and more sophisticated, high-end Chinese restaurants have come into people's field of vision and made the Michelin list. Among them, the leader Xinrongji is known as the "Michelin harvester", and restaurants such as Chaoshangchao, Tai'anmen, and Jingzhaoyin have also won three Michelin stars.
The halo is gone, and high-end Western food relies on "going down" to save itself?
In the eyes of many practitioners, the reshuffle of high-end Western food is inevitable. In addition to the influence of the external environment, there have been some changes in the high-end Western food track - the era of relying only on foreign celebrity chefs, awards and luxury decoration to create high-end Western food has passed.
The halo dissipated, and high-end Western restaurants began to collectively "go down to earth".
Li Cheng, founder of Shenzhen Gentle L French Restaurant, said that overseas celebrity chefs have a strong endorsement role in the early stage, which helps to quickly open up the Chinese market, but there are also many risks and drawbacks.
△Gentle L； Image source: Courtesy of the interviewee
"The more well-known, the more cherished the feathers and halo, the more they will often adhere to the foreign practice and lead to unadaptation. China's consumer market is changing with each passing day, and it is a huge challenge for Western food brands to quickly adjust and integrate with them if they are still at the helm of foreigners. Li Cheng said.
In fact, many restaurants have become more "local" in their offerings.
In response to these changes, Bulgari Restaurant Beijing began to introduce more local ingredients and cooking techniques, while retaining the classic elements of Western cuisine, so that customers can enjoy the sophistication of Western cuisine, but also feel fresh and creative.
For example, the store's signature product, "Pan-fried Pigeon Breast", uses local pigeon as raw material, pickled and matured, and then cooked with traditional French pan-frying techniques to achieve innovation.
△ Image source: provided by the interviewee
In addition to more localized products, some high-end Western restaurants are also extending their operating hours and adjusting their price bands. In Liang Chao's view, high-end western restaurants can diversify their operations and increase their sources of income by holding events and launching afternoon teas.
The Georg started its lunch market this year, and unlike the two set menus of 1,680 yuan and 1,980 yuan for dinner, the noon restaurant has launched an à la carte system, providing relatively home-style dishes.
In April this year, the 81/2 Otto e Mezzo BOMBANA restaurant also opened on Sundays, after in previous years it was open from Monday to Saturday and closed on Sundays.
In addition, Le Comptoir de Pierre Gagnaire, a one-Michelin-starred restaurant with an average consumption of 1,600+ per person, has launched a three-course business lunch for a single person for less than 500 yuan; Jean Georges, who is also a Michelin-starred restaurant, has a single set menu for less than 400 yuan.
With the advent of the "Fourth Consumption Era", people have become more cautious in consumption, but it does not mean that people are not consuming. When the industry reshuffle is inevitable, the high-end Western food that has been "disenchanted" needs to return to the essence of catering operation, and do a good job in products, services and operations to improve the core competitiveness of restaurants. As Hou Decheng said, when the industry falls into a trough, operators must sink down and polish their products and services.
Cover image source: Picture Worm Creative.