Opening a big-name restaurant is not only a sideline, but also a way to make money. Let's take a look at the combination of fashion and coffee.

Looking back at the fact that many big luxury brands joined the catering industry in 2015, Hong Kong media said: "luxury brands have experienced a difficult period in China, and price cuts do not work to open restaurants." In fact, these restaurants opened by big brands are not just sidelines. In addition to making the money you spend on food and drink, they also want to use the way of experiential consumption to keep you in the store to buy clothes.

Big-name restaurants are blooming everywhere

1921Gucci Restaurant

Last year, big names started a favorite mode for foodies, joining the catering industry and opening restaurants and cafes. Last July, a restaurant called 1921Gucci opened in Shanghai's iAPM Mall; Thomas's, Burberry's first coffee shop, opened in London in June; Herm è s opened in Seoul in May and Armani in Cannes in May; the world's first Vivienne Westwood coffee shop will officially open in Shanghai's K11 shopping mall in April; and Ralph Lauren opened a Polo Bar restaurant in downtown New York in March.

Pasticceria Marchesi store

In addition to opening restaurants, luxury brands are also buying food and beverage groups. Early last year, Prada0 Group bought an 80% stake in Angelo Marchesi Srl, the parent company behind Milan's 190-year-old pastry shop Pasticceria Marchesi. In 2014, LVMH bought a nearly 90 per cent stake in Jade, a Chinese restaurant, for $100m.

While you eat and drink, the big names make money.

Last year's luxury goods industry was not as expected, and under the double pressure of the rise of e-commerce and a weak economy, luxury brands had to change their strategies to save the weak market. There is no denying that these big-name restaurants are also one of the rescue strategies, but for big names, it is an extremely important step to pave the way for the future. Most of the restaurants that started last year are doing brisk business, and you might think that the big names are just trying to earn a little extra money to subsidize ugly results. However, as early as 1999, Ralph Lauren became the first fashion designer to enter the catering industry. He opened the brand's first restaurant next to the Polo store in Michigan Avenue, Chicago. The brand then introduced restaurants and even coffee bars in its flagship stores in Paris and Polo stores in Manhattan. From the practice of Ralph Lauren, it is not difficult to see that these restaurants are actually for the layout of brand stores, in addition to want to earn the money you spend on food and drink, the more important thing is to let you spend in the store.

As we all know, the core service of luxury brands is experience. Luxury brands have always been very skeptical about e-commerce that lacks experience. Although two top luxury brands, Chanel and Dior, joined the e-commerce industry in 2015, consumers can only buy some of their products online. This shows that luxury brands still have reservations about the development of e-commerce. If you don't want to go to e-commerce, you have to enhance the experience of the store. After the decoration, service and customization have reached the extreme, delicious food is undoubtedly a perfect experience to add icing on the cake. Although it may be inconsistent to choose fine clothes while eating steak in big-name stores, it doesn't matter, this is the best time for foodie. To achieve this goal, the big names have begun the strategy of conquering your stomach first.

Source: China luxury net