Changsha Cafe has upgraded its business format: there are about 10 "Cat Cafe" whose prices are 30% higher.

"intimacy Economics" is popular. Ask pets to help make money.

The business format of Changsha cafe has been upgraded, and about 10 "cat cafes" have their prices higher than 30%, and health and safety are also controversial.

Consumers enjoy a good time with cats in the store.

Chubby English short-haired cat, lazy puppet cat, meek and clingy Garfield. Nowadays, as naive cats become more and more popular, "cat coffee", which can have a close contact with all kinds of cats while eating, is also beginning to become a fashion upstart and popular with young people-as a cured pet, cats have begun to become another reason for literary and artistic young people to go to cafes.

However, when "no pets" restaurants combine with cats and produce chemical reactions, cat coffee is also questioned by many consumers because of its hygiene and food safety problems. How can we improve the format of cat coffee, and is cat coffee the first choice for upgrading traditional coffee shops?

The traditional coffee shop is not as expected.

Please help me with the cat.

On the afternoon of April 7, although it was a working day, there were still more than a dozen consumers in Mengmeow Cafe enjoying a good time with cats. Miss Zhou, a white-collar worker who is stroking the cat in the store, said that she is a regular customer of Mengmeow Cafe and that it is almost normal for the shop to be "full" on weekends.

In fact, under the situation of weak business format and serious polarization of traditional cafes, a kind of cat-themed cafe is quietly emerging in the streets of Changsha, and the format of cat coffee may become an upgrade of cafes, attracting many consumers to shop.

According to the 2015 China Coffee Industry Research report, the number of cafes in China has increased from more than 20,000 in 2008 to more than 100,000 at present, of which only about 30% are profitable.

"in China, coffee is undergoing an upgrade from business coffee to theme coffee. Traditional fast-vanishing coffee and leisure coffee have sprung up everywhere in Changsha, and their performance is not ideal because of the lack of characteristics, but the momentum of theme coffee is strong, and it is a market segment derived from the coffee industry. " An industry insider said frankly.

"the cat coffee model originated in Taiwan, China, and its popularity should be in Japan. I saw that the form of cat coffee was very creative on the Internet in 2014, so I started to open a store. " Li Jing, the owner of the Meng Meow Cafe, recalled his experience of opening the shop to the reporter. "when I started decorating the cat coffee, I only knew that there was a cat coffee in Changsha, but I didn't expect that there were many in the past two years." According to the reporter's incomplete statistics, taking the Cat Cafe era of cute Coffee Cafe and Xidi Private House as an example, there are about 10 cat cafes in Changsha.

In the reporter's random interview, 60% of consumers said they had been to a cat cafe, and the pressure of work and lack of time to take care of their pets were the main reasons why they were willing to spend money in cat cafes. "the cat cafe has a wide variety of cats, and some expensive cats can't afford to buy them themselves, but cat coffee can meet all my needs for pet cats." Miss Zhao, who works in the media industry, told reporters.

"since the store opened in 2012, there have been more than 10,000 members in the store." Yue Yajie, the owner of the cat coffee era of the Xidi private house, revealed in an interview with reporters. In addition, Wu Jiahuang, head of the Cat Power Maoca Restaurant, which is located in Huachuang International Square and opened for less than half a year, also told reporters that after more than two months of opening, the turnover has exceeded 400000.

Groups of amazing sales figures all show that cat coffee has developed rapidly in the past two years and is becoming more and more popular among consumers.

The price is comparable to that of Starbucks

Food safety is worrying.

Nowadays, going to the cat cafe to "pet the cat" and then taking pictures and posting them on moments is a fashionable thing worth "posting". In spite of this, the prices of items sold in cat cafes are often higher than the market price, and some consumers say they can't stand it. Take Maodong Maoca Restaurant as an example, the price of a matcha latte in the restaurant is 48 yuan, which is nearly 30% higher than the price of 34 yuan for similar items at Starbucks.

"the price of the product is indeed higher than the average market price, which should be similar to that of Starbucks. The expensive part can only be counted as tickets to play with cats, otherwise we can't afford the high expenses." In an interview with the reporter, a shopkeeper who spoke on condition of anonymity said so.

In addition to the relatively high prices, the hygiene and food safety of cat cafes have also aroused doubts among many consumers.

After experiencing a cat coffee, a Changsha citizen complained to the reporter that the area of the coffee shop was small, but there were 10 or 20 cats. After entering the door, there was a strong smell of animals. "although the cat's fingernails are cut very short, but if you are not careful when feeding the cat, its teeth may hang on you."

During the interview, the reporter found that in the era of cat coffee in Xidi private restaurant, consumers did not need to do any disinfection measures to enter consumption, although Yueyajie said that every cat would undergo strict disinfection and regular inspection, but there are still consumers worried about the environmental hygiene problems of cat coffee. "when the cat is crawling around, it doesn't feel very clean." The diner, nicknamed Happy Life _ 2959, wrote such comments on a Dianping software.

In addition, although cat cafes are forbidden to bring their own food to cats, and some even prohibit minors under the age of 16 from coming to the store to spend money, according to the reporter's observation, in many cat cakes, cats who are regarded as "waiters" usually show a state of tiredness. some cats ignore even if you put the food to its mouth. "some cats are really tired, and some customers forcibly pick them up regardless of their feelings. These cats, which are arrogant and arrogant, are also forcibly domesticated in the cat coffee. " Miss Huang, a cat lover, expressed her helplessness.

Although the pressure of competition is great

The prospect is still promising.

"opening a cat coffee can only say that it relieves the pressure of keeping a cat and can't make any money." The person in charge of Maocang in Changsha said that a cat often spends more than 1,000 yuan a month on cat food, snacks and regular medical examination.If you add the disinfection of the storefront, facade, labor, and so on, the cost will be even greater. "and in the rainy season, even on weekends, cat coffee business is not particularly good."

Although the cat coffee in Changsha has shown a trend of "blooming everywhere", in fact, the business of cat coffee is not as good as expected. In the reporter's interview, the person in charge of a number of cat coffee said that opening cat coffee can only achieve a balanced state at present. "even if the monthly turnover in the peak season is about 100,000, the monthly profit will not exceed 20%. Compared with the white-collar workers at work, we are the real cat slaves. " Li Jing, owner of the cute cat cafe, said with a smile.

"No matter what industry it is, it will face an industry reshuffle after the outbreak period," he said. With the intensification of competition in Changsha Cat Cafe, only with its own characteristics can it occupy a larger market share. " At present, on the first floor of the cute cat cafe, Ulrich has tried to create a small "dog cafe", which is the first step in his transformation.

"at present, the cat-themed cafe is still a niche market, and the acceptance of healing cats as a new object for many consumers to relax pressure is also increasing." Yue Yajie told reporters, "in the future, we will pay more attention to the user experience of consumers, and provide customized services, improve the surrounding industries, the only way to meet the diversified needs of customers."

"there are a lot of consumers, and the cake is so big that no one can finish it." Wu Chia-Huang describes what he thinks is the cat-themed market. "in fact, there are many main cat restaurants in many first-tier cities, and more and more people love and understand cats, and this market is becoming more and more standardized and perfect in the competition."

Sound

Behind the rise of Cat Cafe

It's "intimacy Economics."

Compared with the breeds of dogs that can be seen everywhere, cats are more mysterious and rare. The cat's owner jokingly calls himself a "shovel official", which reflects that the animal is not "approachable" from the side.

In an interview with a reporter from Sanxiang Metropolis Daily, Mr. Zhu, the person in charge of a cat house in Changsha, said, "the form of cat coffee has brought many expensive and aloof cats close to the daily life of consumers." As a semi-domesticated animal, cats generally have their own thinking and do not get along too closely with people, so they become the first choice for pet-themed restaurants. "

Yin Ying, head of the Changsha small Animal Protection Association, believes that the continuous upgrading of the pet market has indirectly stimulated the consumer market. According to her, the number of people owning cats in Changsha has increased by about 30% in the past two years. "the visual impact of cute kittens has prompted more and more cat owners, while many people pursue breeds when they keep pets. The expansion of the supply market has also indirectly stimulated the expansion of the consumer market."

As for why Maoka has developed rapidly in various themed restaurants and cafes in the past two years, Hu Jian, director of the Psychological Counseling Center of Hunan Mass Media Vocational and Technical College and a national second-class psychological counselor, believes that this has something to do with the weakening sense of trust and intimacy between people in today's society. She believes that today's society requires people to be independent, making it difficult for people to show their vulnerable side to others, but in fact, people need to be accompanied when they are vulnerable. "cats are more obedient animals and do not bark noisily. Its touch is as comfortable as a plush toy, and the cat's contact process can really improve people's negative emotions."