Table of Contents
Executive Summary
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- The market
- Consumers’ rising acknowledgement of the emerging meal occasions
- Afternoon tea thrives with absorbing crossover players
- Chinese-style afternoon tea gets pumped up to steal the glamour
- Impact of COVID-19 on Brunch and Afternoon Tea
- COVID-19 trimmed consumer footfall and spending
- More hotels may join the game due to the COVID-19 outbreak
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- Figure 1: Short, medium and long-term impact of COVID-19 on brunch and afternoon tea, September 2020
- The consumer
- A potentially fierce market of brunch and afternoon tea catering down the road
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- Figure 2: Brunch and afternoon tea dining venue on weekdays and on weekends, May 2020
- Brunch alleviates hunger as dish preference among different demographics diverges
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- Figure 3: Dish preference for brunch, May 2020
- Afternoon tea-goers embrace cake and yogurt
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- Figure 4: Dish preference for afternoon tea, May 2020
- Similar drink choice for brunch and afternoon tea as top picks belong to coffee, juice and tea
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- Figure 5: Drink choice for brunch, May 2020
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- Figure 6: Drink choice for afternoon tea, May 2020
- Novel meal occasions are translated to being trendy and modern
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- Figure 7: Meal perception, May 2020
- Consumers pay RMB50-99 for brunch and afternoon tea
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- Figure 8: Typical spending on brunch and afternoon tea, May 2020
- What we think
Issues and Insights
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- Brunch can become a fertile trial ground for new menu offers
- The facts
- The implications
- Indulgence is the keyword for afternoon tea-goers
- The facts
- The implications
- Hotels need to accelerate in catering brunch/afternoon tea to ride out financial cushion arising from COVID-19
- The facts
- The implications
The Market – What You Need to Know
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- Domestic consumers’ inclusiveness of exotic meal occasions elevates
- COVID-19 put a brake on brunch and afternoon tea catering
- Luxury brands resonate with indulgent afternoon tea
- A rise of local elements in Western-style afternoon tea
Market Factors
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- Young consumers’ exposure to Western lifestyle drives interest in brunch and afternoon tea
- Eat with eyes – growing interest in food presentation and “displaying” lifestyle on social media
- Booming tea drink business breeds an afternoon tea habit
- More prudent spending sentiment after the outbreak
Market Highlights
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- Luxury brands leave footprints in afternoon tea catering
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- Figure 9: Tiffany Blue Box Café in Shanghai
- Brunch becomes a new forefront to diversify revenue pathways
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- Figure 10: ZMAX’s brunch sample
- McDonald’s filed for trademark “McBrunch” with little follow-up action
Menu Observation
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- Similar menus with a few must-haves…
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- Figure 11: Eggs benedict
- …while exotic restaurants continue stunning the local markets
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- Figure 12: Turkish king breakfast set from Rumi’s Secret
- Figure 13: Soybean milk smoothie from EAU Café
- Hotels start blending Chinese elements in afternoon tea
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- Figure 14: Chinese-style afternoon tea from Golden Tulip Shanghai Rainbow Hotel
- Figure 15: Traditional Chinese set-up
- Figure 16: Themed Chinese-style afternoon tea set from NUO Hotel Beijing
The Consumer – What You Need to Know
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- Brunch and afternoon tea have penetrated to a sizeable population
- Consumers aim to get their stomach filled at brunch
- Afternoon tea is associated with sweet indulgences
- Brunch and afternoon tea can be interpreted in various ways
Venue of Consumption
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- Both brunch and afternoon tea have gained traction among local consumers
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- Figure 17: Brunch and afternoon tea dining venue on weekdays and on weekends, May 2020
- Fast food restaurants excel at attracting brunch eaters
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- Figure 18: Brunch dining venue on weekdays and on weekends, May 2020
- Employees at foreign enterprises comprise a big share of afternoon tea-goers
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- Figure 19: Afternoon tea dining venue on weekdays, by company type, May 2020
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- Figure 20: Afternoon tea dining venue on weekends, by company type, May 2020
Dish Preference for Brunch
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- Addressing the hunger call is the priority at brunch
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- Figure 21: Dish preference for brunch, May 2020
- Families with kid(s) opt for big serving staples
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- Figure 22: Dish preference for brunch, by family structure, May 2020
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- Figure 23: Premium Spaghetti, Nigeria, 2020
- Figure 24: Dietetic Basil Spaghetti, Argentina, 2020
- Healthier and lighter bites appeal to females
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- Figure 25: Dish preference for brunch, by gender, May 2020
Dish Preference for Afternoon Tea
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- Sweet indulgence at afternoon tea with a sip of dietary yogurt
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- Figure 26: Dish preference for afternoon tea, May 2020
- Weekend afternoon tea: niche Western snacks find a place at hotels
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- Figure 27: Dish preference for weekend afternoon tea, by meal location – “hotel”, May 2020
- Young consumers crave a sweet and creamy bite
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- Figure 28: Dish preference for afternoon tea – “ice cream & slushie”, by age, May 2020
- Figure 29: Dish preference for afternoon tea – “yogurt”, by age, May 2020
Drink Choice
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- Brunch eaters order different drinks with different purposes…
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- Figure 30: Drink choice – “brunch”, May 2020
- …while afternoon tea-goers’ top drink choice is tea
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- Figure 31: Drink choice – “afternoon tea”, May 2020
- Alcohol drinkers gorge themselves with meat at brunch
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- Figure 32: Dish preference for brunch – “meat”, by drink choice for brunch, May 2020
Meal Perception
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- Brunch/afternoon tea becomes an equivalent to modern life
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- Figure 33: Meal perception, May 2020
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- Figure 34: Meal perception – “suitable for treating myself & suitable for friends’ union & bourgeois”, by age, May 2020
- Females prefer to bond with family/friends at brunch/afternoon tea
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- Figure 35: Meal perception – “suitable for friends’ union” & “suitable for parent-kid interaction”, by gender and age, May 2020
Spending Level
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- Typical spending is in the range of RMB50-99
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- Figure 36: Typical spending on brunch and afternoon tea, May 2020
- High spenders prefer novel Western-style dishes
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- Figure 37: Dish preference for brunch, by spending level, May 2020
- High spenders have a huge crush on afternoon tea sweets
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- Figure 38: Dish preference for afternoon tea, by spending level, May 2020
Meet the Mintropolitans
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- High penetration rate of brunch and afternoon tea among Mintropolitans
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- Figure 39: Meal penetration – “have not had in the last 12 months”, by consumer classification, May 2020
- Figure 40: Meal penetration, by consumer classification, May 2020
- Fizzy and alcoholic drinks win over MinTs’ favour
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- Figure 41: Drink choice for brunch, by consumer classification, May 2020
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- Figure 42: Drink choice for afternoon tea, by consumer classification, May 2020
Appendix – Methodology and Abbreviations
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- Methodology
- Abbreviations
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