The catering brand Tao TaoJu finally couldn't resist entering the northern market. On November 3, the Beijing Business Daily reporter learned that since the opening of the 1st, the number of TaoTaoju stores in the queue is carried out according to 4 digits, and there is a phenomenon of scalper queuing up to take the number, priced at 150 yuan / time. Judging from the current popularity, it is indeed quite popular. However, as a long-established brand of local cuisine, how to adapt products and tastes to the consumer needs of different regions, as well as to continue to innovate and replicate and expand on the basis of retaining excellent culture and technology, and reduce the probability of "water and soil dissatisfaction", is the next test that needs to be accepted.
The first time I entered Beijing, the queue was hot
Tao Tao Ju, which has been open for less than 72 hours in Beijing, has staged a fiery queue. On the evening of November 3, the Beijing Business Daily reporter learned that Tao Taoju,the first store in Beijing, which opened less than 72 hours ago, at 19:56, there were 60 tables in front of the 3-person scene, and it was necessary to wait for 1 and a half hours. According to the store clerk, there were more than 1,000 tables queued up throughout the day yesterday. It is understood that this store has also opened stores in Xiamen, Shenzhen and Shanghai, and officially entered the North China market.
Such a hot nature is also indispensable to the figure of "scalper". Beijing Business Daily reporter learned from a scalper that there is currently Tao Taoju to take the number of queuing business, 150 yuan can be queued, "not according to the head of the calculation, this is already cheap."
The Beijing Business Daily reporter also saw from the store that the overall design style of Tao Taoju's first store in Beijing is more youthful on the basis of retaining the brand characteristics. In terms of dishes, the menu is consistent with the Guangzhou store, in addition to the regular dishes, this time Tao Tao Ju Taikoo Li store also launched a new product of autumn and winter limited double winter lamb brisket and bacon rice.
However, as Cantonese cuisine moves north, technology and ingredients are difficult problems, and whether the taste can retain its original taste is also a challenge. In this regard, the relevant person in charge of Tao Taoju said that this time Tao Taoju entered Beijing, and 90% of the technical strength and service team of the back kitchen were selected and trained in Guangzhou, and its material selection requirements, cooking techniques, and service standards were no different from Guangzhou.
It is precisely because of the increase in the cost of manpower, ingredients and other costs, the Beijing Business Daily reporter learned that the pricing of the Beijing store is also slightly higher than that of the Guangzhou store, with an average of about 150 yuan per capita. According to public reviews, the per capita price of ordinary stores in Guangzhou is about 100 yuan.
Aim at the first-tier market and do not rush to expand
In fact, the landing of Tao Taoju's first store in Beijing is also the fourth city for the brand to expand outward. Since Tao Taoju walked out of Laoxiguan in Guangzhou in 2015, it has gradually begun to accelerate its development to the market outside the base camp, and there are currently 29 stores nationwide.
At the same time, in December last year, the Tao Taoju brand just underwent a round of equity changes. According to the announcement issued by Guangzhou Restaurant on the acquisition of 100% of the equity of Guangzhou Haiyue Taoju Catering Management Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "Haiyue Company"), Guangzhou Taotaoju Food Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "Taotaoju Company"), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Guangzhou Restaurant, signed an Equity Transfer Agreement with the transferor, Guangzhou Food Shang Yayuan Catering Management Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "Food Shang Yayuan Company"), and Tao Tao Ju Company signed an Equity Transfer Agreement with the transferor, Guangzhou Food Shang Yayuan Catering Management Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "Food Shang Yayuan Company"), and Tao Tao Ju Company signed an Equity Transfer Agreement with 18022.29 10,000 yuan in cash to acquire 100% of the equity of Haiyue Company held by Food Shang Graceland Company.
In the first three quarters of 2021 performance announcement released by Guangzhou Restaurant a few days ago, it was also mentioned that the revenue of the catering industry in January-September 2021 increased by 59.03% year-on-year, and the change in this data was also due to the company's acquisition of Guangzhou Haiyue Taotaoju Catering Management Co., Ltd. Since July 1, 2021, the operating income has been included in the company's consolidated statements.
However, judging from the expansion speed of Tao Taoju, it seems that there is no hurry. Regarding the layout of Tao Taoju next, Yin Jiangbo, chairman of Taotaoju Catering Management Co., Ltd., told beijing business daily reporter that TaoTaoju is still dominated by first-tier cities in the store layout, and the new first-tier cities will also consider suitable opportunities, and there is no specific store opening plan.
"Tao Taoju's category is more inclined to meals, and the requirements for standardization and rapid expansion are higher, so the expansion speed is relatively slow." In addition, Tao Taoju emphasizes its own quality, and the expansion and development are also slightly cautious. In addition, Guangzhou Restaurant's acquisition of Tao Taoju's equity has actually brought benefits to both parties, and the acquisition of Tao Taoju is conducive to strengthening the catering business sector of Guangzhou Restaurant, and Guangzhou Restaurant can also provide certain financial support for Tao Taoju. Wen Zhihong, partner and head of chain operations at Hejun Consulting, pointed out, "For Tao Taoju, who has just entered the Beijing market, site selection, marketing and operation methods are crucial. ”
Continuous replication challenges
Judging from the current hot queuing situation, the acceptance of the Beijing market is not low. In addition, Tao Tao Ju, as a chinese time-honored brand, has certain brand advantages over other non-chain Cantonese cuisine brands. However, after the "early adopter" of the new consumer market, being able to continue to be hot is the next test for brands.
Taking the consumption period as an example, the Beijing Business Daily reporter learned that the Tao Tao Ju Sanlitun store also retains the same morning tea, noon, afternoon tea and evening market and other business hours as the Guangzhou market, in fact, from the perspective of food culture, there is still a certain difference between the north and the south in this regard.
Lai Yang, vice president of the Beijing Business Economics Association, believes that although Tao Taoju is currently quite popular, it still needs more word-of-mouth accumulation, and whether it can be accepted by consumers for a long time remains to be tested. Continuous replication is a major problem for many brands, the expansion of direct stores is relatively slow, and there are challenges such as dish quality and daily management standardization in franchised stores, which are more risky. In addition, there are differences in consumer tastes in different cities, and further research is needed on whether brands need to be adjusted according to geography when expanding. The times have changed, the past health standards, dishes and consumer lifestyles are changing, for many of the old brands that have gradually grown up, not only in terms of taste closer to contemporary consumers, the quality of dishes needs to be further improved, do not blindly stick to the rules, should gradually change and upgrade.
Wen Zhihong further pointed out that in the current market, some old brands choose to stick to the rules, and some old brands do not retain their essence when innovating, which is a problem in the development process of the current long-established brands. Therefore, in the process of innovation and development, the long-established brand should retain its excellent cultural and technological products, and innovate products, environment and services on this basis. In addition, there is a large room for growth in the operation and management of the old brand and the business model, which makes the chain expansion will have certain challenges, in the next development in addition to strengthening the standardization in the conventional operation, the introduction of digital management is equally important.
Beijing Business Daily reporter Guo Binlu Zhang Tianyuan