According to the National Bureau of Statistics, the total 2006
haul for the?catering industry reached 1 trillion yuan (about
US$132 billion) with a regular 10 percent increase over the last 16
years. The industry has seen a boom of late with over 4 million
restaurants in China and a growth rate 10 percent higher than other
areas.
Experts point out that Chinese restaurateurs have a wide market
in front of them and exciting prospects to tap.?
"The retail turnover of the?catering industry reached
1034.55 billion yuan in 2006?-- over 140 billion yuan more
than 2005?-- representing a 16.4 percent rise." Vice-Director
of the China Cuisine Association Yang Liu said. "There is great
correlation between the tourism and?catering industry. In
2006, gross income from tourism in China stood at 623 billion yuan,
17.9 percent higher than the last year. According to international
conventions, income of the?catering industry accounts for
around one quarter of that of tourism while in return, tourism
contributed 120 to 150 billion yuan to the?catering industry
in 2006."
With restaurants sprouting up all over the place, competition
has become fierce. "Take Beijing for example, there are 45, 000
domestic and foreign restaurants with on average, 100 opening and
closing down on a daily basis." Counselor of Chinese
Cuisine Zhang Weixin said.
Thanks to China's various dietary tradition and willingness to
absorb new elements, its culinary etiquette is becoming more
refined and beneficial to restaurants.?
China covers a vast territory and has many ethnic groups, hence
offering a wide variety of Chinese food. Since China's local dishes
have their own typical features, Chinese food can be roughly
divided into eight regional cuisines, namely, Sichuan, Fujian, Zhejiang, Shandong, Guangdong (Cantonese), Jiangsu, Anhui and Hunan, although other sub-categories such as
Beijing or Shanghai cuisine are also in existence.
?
Restaurants from foreign countries are also biting into the Chinese
market with fast-food chains such as KFC and McDonald's, with 1200
and 600 stores respectively, making inroads therein. "Learning from
our foreign competitors, Goubuli has opened more than 70 chain
stores in China and also has outlets in Tokyo, New York and
Singapore," said an official from the Tianjin Goubuli Company,
manufacturers of a popular Chinese steamed stuffed bun brand.
After many years competing with foreign restaurants, Chinese
outlets are scampering to improve their dining environment and
service.
Yang Liu predicted that the total consumption of Chinese
restaurant industry would see a 17 percent leap to reach 1.2
trillion yuan this year and 2 trillion yuan by 2010, or the
equivalent of 1500 yuan per person per year.
(China.org.cn by Li Xiaohua July 4, 2007)