The catering industry has entered an era of slow growth, and whether takeaway satellite stores can become a new growth engine?

According to the latest data from the National Bureau of Statistics, from January to August this year, the national catering revenue was 3,499.8 billion yuan, an increase of 6.6% year-on-year; The catering revenue of units above designated size was 968.7 billion yuan, an increase of 4.1% year-on-year. Judging from the macro data, domestic catering consumption has increased steadily, but the growth rate has slowed down significantly. At the same time, catering consumption is also undergoing obvious consumption stratification and structural differentiation, and the whole industry is transforming. Some practitioners lamented that the era of "fast in and fast out" to make quick money is gone.

Entering the era of slow growth, many mid-to-high-end catering brands have chosen a downward strategy. Recently, Laoxiang Chicken, a well-known Chinese fast food brand, announced the launch of the "brand satellite store" strategy, planning to open 50 brand satellite stores within the year, with Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Hubei as the main franchise areas. Shu Xiaolong, chairman of Laoxiang Chicken, said bluntly: "The satellite store can be understood as a store that mainly operates as a pure takeaway. ”

Enterprises: Creating a "Second Growth Curve"

Since the beginning of this year, Nongji, Taier Sauerkraut Fish, Haidilao, etc. have accelerated the layout of satellite stores. According to Meituan's "Prosperity Plan", as of September 3 this year, 150 catering brands have opened more than 1,000 satellite stores on the basis of dine-in operations.

In the eyes of industry insiders, the reason for the blooming of satellite stores everywhere is very simple - the industry is involuted. Since two years ago, a large number of operators have poured into the catering industry, triggering a protracted price war, and many catering companies have reduced prices and entered the era of low profits.

Su Danman, chief financial officer of Jiumaojiu Group, said: "The initial investment in the satellite store is low. In terms of personnel employment, it can also be shared with the main restaurant, so this model is relatively light. "The asset-light satellite store model is more suitable for the current industry environment with a high degree of involution, and many mid-to-high-end catering brands regard building satellite stores as the "second growth curve".

At the same time, the flexible combination of satellite stores and stores can help F&B brands reach more consumers. "There are areas that are not suitable for dine-in restaurants, but there is a certain demand from consumers, and satellite stores can effectively fill these areas. In order to ensure that the satellite store will not divert the business volume of the store, the satellite store is relatively far away from the main store in terms of location. Taier pickled cabbage fish related people told reporters in a telephone interview, "Satellite stores are more distributed in first-tier cities, and the number of Nanjing is currently small and needs to be improved." ”

What is the difference between a satellite store opened by a restaurant chain brand and an ordinary takeaway store? Lu Liangan, a fellow chicken investment officer, told reporters: "The business logic of satellite stores is fundamentally different from that of ordinary takeaway restaurants. Satellite stores are a supplement to offline locations, which can recombine existing production capacity, reduce the takeaway load of stores, and realize in-depth mining of existing customers. To put it simply, it is to let those who do dine-in concentrate on dine-in and take-out seriously. ”

"Brand stores have a good market reputation and provide a basic source of customers for satellite stores, which is incomparable to ordinary takeaway stores." A person from the Meituan takeaway brand satellite store project told reporters, "Satellite stores can also in turn expand the contact between catering brands and consumers, and further enhance brand awareness, which is a matter of killing two birds with one stone." ”

Franchisees: The business model is simpler

From the consumer side of Meituan, it is difficult to distinguish between satellite stores and stores. Recently, with the help of takeaway riders, the reporter came to Yijia 100 Life Plaza, located in Jianye District, Nanjing, and saw the food stalls of well-known restaurant chain brands such as hometown chicken, fat uncle pot stickers, and aftertaste duck blood vermicelli in the mall. Different from the Lao Xiang Chicken stores in other areas, the Lao Xiang Chicken in Yijia 100 Life Square occupies a much smaller area and shares a dining area with other food stalls.

"The takeaway business is indeed mainstream, but strictly speaking, our store is not a satellite store." Mr. Wei, a franchisee of Laoxiang Chicken, admitted that he was very interested in the satellite store, "Relying on the dine-in management services provided by the mall, our operating costs have been reduced a lot, and if we only do takeaway business, we can further reduce costs and increase efficiency." ”

"Joining a satellite store, the model is very simple, I am not like a restaurant owner, more like a grocery store owner." Su Zhuo, a franchisee of Taier sauerkraut fish, joked with reporters. Su Zhuo said that there are only more than 20 dishes in the store, which are basically pre-made dishes distributed by the company, and after receiving online orders, they can be served under heating, "It is very convenient, and we can operate it as a husband and wife." ”

Compared with stores, satellite stores have more advantages in many business indicators. According to Meituan data, compared with dine-in takeaway stores, the brand satellite stores jointly built by these platforms and brands have reduced store rent and decoration costs by 60%, increased exposure by more than 30%, increased the order conversion rate by 5 percentage points, and the order volume of a single store is 1.74 times that of new store orders in the same period, with an average profit margin of 14.8%.

Lu Liangan revealed that the average daily takeaway order volume of the hometown chicken satellite store is about 500 orders, and the per capita customer unit price is about 25 yuan to 30 yuan, as long as it is operated well, the monthly turnover of 500,000 yuan is not a problem. When talking about the cost of opening a store, Lu Liangan said that depending on the area and the size of the store, the total cost of joining the store ranges from 1 million yuan to 1.2 million yuan. Su Zhuo also said frankly: "In terms of income, satellite stores are not particularly prominent, but their total investment is small, the payback period is short, and the business model is simpler. ”

Diners: Brand regulation needs to be enhanced

Unlike the high expectations of brands and franchisees, consumers do not seem to have a good impression of the satellite store model. Through a questionnaire survey, the reporter collected 150 consumers' views on the opening of takeaway satellite stores by big-name catering brands. Among them, more than 85% of consumers have a negative view of satellite stores, and less than 8% of consumers have a positive view, focusing on the fact that satellite stores can provide cheaper products.

There are various reasons for the negative view, "After all, it is not a store, will the brand still supervise it carefully", "Satellite stores are basically pre-made dishes, and it is better to buy cooking kits directly when ordering takeout"...... In the message, many consumers bluntly said that "the takeaway of the satellite store is not ordered". In the questionnaire survey, some consumers called for businesses to indicate whether they are satellite stores and use pre-made dishes on online platforms.

At the same time, a significant number of consumers have expressed concerns about food safety issues. Shen Ling, a consumer, told reporters: "I have been to the takeaway restaurant concentration area of Nanjing Mingfa Commercial Plaza, and the smell is uncomfortable, and some of the ingredients are directly placed on the ground where the sewage flows, and I rarely order takeout since then." ”

In this regard, Lu Liangan said that the satellite stores of Lao Xiang Chicken are basically the same as those of dine-in stores, including the same process, operation, production and quality of ingredients. Another regional person in charge of the catering brand told reporters: "In order to eliminate everyone's concerns about the food safety of satellite stores, satellite stores in some cities have opened live kitchens, and consumers can supervise them online in real time, and they may be promoted to all franchise stores in the future." ”

Sun Xiaolong, an associate researcher at the Institute of Agricultural Economics and Development of the Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, said in an interview with reporters that the emergence of satellite stores is the result of the development of the catering industry, and the business model itself is not good or bad, and the key lies in how the brand operates. Sun Xiaolong believes that satellite stores will also affect the brand image of relevant catering enterprises, and the brand has the responsibility to supervise and deal with the problems of satellite stores. To some extent, the emergence of satellite stores may be able to promote the healthy development of the food delivery industry.

Jiangsu Economic News reporter Fan Jun