The rise of "caf é" the quiet transformation of leisure dining in cafes

Coffee shops that used to specialize in coffee products have now added Western-style simple meals such as steak; their old line sells roast duck, but they want to blaze a new trail in the coffee field. In the spring of 2014, under the spring tide of catering enterprises seeking transformation, leisure catering in Beijing also showed new features. The integration of Chinese and Western food and coffee shop has given rise to the new thing of "curry food", which has become a new development direction of leisure catering in Beijing. Industry insiders said that coffee plus simple meals is an upgrade of leisure catering, but how to better combine the two is still a problem to be solved in front of catering enterprises.

"Ka Di" appears in the capital

When it comes to coffee shops, people used to think of drinking coffee. It is very pleasant for three or five friends to get together and have coffee while chatting, but if you want to eat good food, you have to go somewhere else. This regret will become a thing of the past. A survey by a reporter from the Beijing Business Daily found that recently, a simple meal with coffee is quietly emerging in the leisure catering industry in Beijing, and the industry has given it a fashionable name-"curry food".

It is understood that "curry meal" means that the coffee shop not only sells coffee, drinks and desserts, but also combines the characteristics of the restaurant, offering grilled chicken wings, pizza, steak, Chinese food and other simple meals. The emergence of "curry meal" has also turned a simple coffee shop into a leisure restaurant, which is welcomed by people.

On the eve of May Day, a reporter from the Beijing Business Daily saw in a coffee shop called Cabella that on the menu provided to guests, drinks such as coffee and wine were equally divided into simple meals and set meals, and the types of simple meals and set meals were also very rich, involving pizza, steak, noodles, fried rice, snacks and other categories. In Shangdao Coffee, in addition to coffee and drinks, there are many kinds of Chinese and Western simple meals and set meals. The simple meal is mainly some snacks, while the set meal includes bacon rice, Steamed Rice with Red-Cooked Pork and so on. For example, its Steamed Rice with Red-Cooked Pork set meal, which is paired with stewed meat and green vegetables, is accompanied by a bowl of fresh soup, which is no less than the set meal of a brand fast food restaurant. In addition to upgrading by adding simple meals to traditional coffee shops, Shangdao Coffee has also entered the field of western restaurants, launching a new leisure restaurant brand, French Shepherd Steakhouse, in the form of a combination of coffee and steak. It is reported that the French Shepherd Steak Restaurant is a brand-new brand created by Shangdao Coffee in order to seek the change of catering demand, and enrich the connotation of the coffee brand by introducing high-quality ingredients.

Traditional coffee shops are upgraded to join light meals to create a new world. Recently, an opposite practice has emerged in the industry, that is, traditional restaurants have opened coffee shops and imported a variety of restaurant specialties into them. For example, Yulin Roast Duck Restaurant, which mainly sells Chinese food such as roast duck, has extended a new brand-one Flower, one Leaf Restaurant. A reporter from Beijing Business Daily saw in the one Flower and one Leaf Restaurant near Xidan that the decoration of the restaurant tends to western style. at first glance, it seems that it has nothing to do with roast duck, but in addition to authentic Sichuan cuisine, Cantonese cuisine and Hunan cuisine made by Yulin roast duck, there are also western food, coffee and refreshments. It is simply a meeting place of Chinese and Western cuisine.

According to a survey by a reporter from the Beijing Business Daily, the phenomenon that traditional cafes and restaurants have transformed into "curry" is gradually rising in the capital, which has become a new development direction of the leisure catering industry.

New consumer demand gives birth to "curry food"

"curry food" is a new thing, but also conforms to the market demand. A person in charge of Shangdao Coffee told the Beijing Business Daily that people used to come to the coffee shop to order a cup of coffee or other drinks, but they found that when people finished drinking, they had to change places if they wanted to solve the problem of eating. "in recent years, we have gradually tried to launch a series of light meals and snacks in the coffee shop, and found that guests can stay and rest by ordering a set meal." Ms. Wang, who consumes coffee on Shangdao, said that she very much agrees with the "curry meal" offered by the coffee shop, so that she does not have to go to great pains to solve the problem of eating and saves her time. According to reports, at present, Shangdao coffee drinks and light meals, set meals account for almost half, through the introduction of "curry meal" has also greatly increased the overall sales of the store.

The person in charge of the one-flower-one-leaf restaurant also said that under normal circumstances, he went to a restaurant for dinner and tea to a teahouse. One flower and one leaf breaks this pattern. Consumers can talk about things in the morning, have lunch, have tea and coffee in the afternoon, and have dinner in the evening, and there are both Chinese and Western styles, as long as people spend one flower and one leaf. All dietary needs can be met. Wei Qing, president of the Beijing Western Food Industry Association, believes that "curry food" is a form that is very suitable for the development of the catering industry at present. "in the past, coffee and simple meals often did not intersect, and the emergence of 'curry food' not only met the diversified needs of consumers." also let leisure catering enterprises see a new direction of development. A person who manages western food also believes that at present, leisure catering is mainly buffet, coffee shop, and western-style simple meals, and the consumers are mainly young people. Catering enterprises combine these dietary elements to meet the needs of young consumer groups. is to comply with the performance of the market.

There are three difficult problems to be solved in "eating food".

According to the 2014 report on the Development of China's Catering Industry released by the China Cuisine Association, there will be great business opportunities in the market for casual and light meals in 2014. The rise of "curry" conforms to this market trend, but industry insiders say that just as many problems have to be faced with the birth of a new thing, this form of "curry" may also face problems such as low turnaround rate, chaotic dining environment, high price and so on.

For enterprises, the turn-over rate of the table determines the number of diners, and it may take about an hour for a single place to eat or drink coffee. As the restaurant operating "curry food" can meet almost all the food needs of consumers, it may occur that guests stay in the restaurant for a long time, which is not conducive to the turnover rate of the restaurant. This is a contradiction that needs to be solved urgently.

The dining environment of the "curry food" restaurant is also facing challenges. Some restaurant companies offer "curry food" with both steak and hamburgers, as well as hot Sichuan and Hunan cuisine, so the dining environment of the restaurant may be very complicated. For example, in a "curry" restaurant that offers a variety of cuisines, consumers who only want to drink a cup of coffee quietly may not be satisfied with the environment. Industry insiders suggest that "curry" restaurants can be classified into different food and beverage areas. try to provide a comfortable dining environment for all kinds of consumers.

In addition, some consumers reported that compared with the simple meals and set meals of traditional restaurants, the food prices of "curry" restaurants are relatively high. A reporter from the Beijing Business Daily saw on the menus of several coffee shops that can provide simple meals that a vegetarian set meal costs more than 30 yuan, and a high-end set meal even amounts to several hundred yuan. Insiders in the industry suggest that just because they are restaurants of western food, they should not make excuses for simple meals and set meals to raise their prices, and food enterprises should make reasonable prices according to the weight and quality of the ingredients. Only in this way can we bring more loyal consumers to the "curry meal".