Table of Contents
Executive Summary
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- Market context
- Population migration has driven regional cuisines to establish a footing in megacities
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- Figure 1: Top ten cities with highest net population inflow
- In-home cooking becomes another way of experiencing regional cuisines
- Multiple information channels help consumers explore
- Innovation trends
- Apply regional cuisines to recipe innovation of different product formats
- The consumer
- Local cuisines can target specific regions beyond their home markets to increase consumption
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- Figure 2: Consumers who have eaten and like the six popular Chinese cuisines, by city, November 2020
- Popular foreign cuisines need to differentiate as consumers mature
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- Figure 3: Adoption of foreign cuisines, November 2020
- Drinks need to soothe spiciness and greasiness with flavourful notes
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- Figure 4: Drinks for food pairing, November 2020
- Utilise visual effects and credibility of respective channels
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- Figure 5: Information channel, November 2020
- Highlight convenience of meal kits to trigger purchase among high earners
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- Figure 6: Preference on home cooking, by monthly personal income, November 2020
- Demand for regional cuisines is expected to heat up
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- Figure 7: Attitudes towards regional cuisines, November 2020
- What we think
Issues and Insights
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- Time for regional cuisines to further specialise
- The facts
- The implications
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- Figure 8: Examples of sub-regional branches of Sichuan and Cantonese cuisines
- Figure 9: Seasonal pork meatballs in Changzhou
- Foreign cuisines can experiment with different trials to seek evolution
- The facts
- The implications
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- Figure 10: Examples of French, Italian and Japanese brunch or afternoon tea
- Figure 11: A-tisuto’s signature dishes
- Restaurants to rejuvenate their marketing tactics to create discussion
- The facts
- The implications
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- Figure 12: Post of To Fa To’s lab restaurant on WeChat
The Market – Key Takeaways
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- Population migration hints at future trends in regional cuisines
- Various information channels activate consumers’ exploration
- Multiple retail products inspired by regional cuisines
Market Factors
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- Conservative spending on eating out arouses scepticism
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- Figure 13: Changes in spending on eating out, October 2020-February 2021
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- Figure 14: Meal solution of dining out, January 25-February 2
- Population migration continues to spark demand for various regional cuisines
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- Figure 15: Top ten cities with highest net population inflow
- Enthusiasm and curiosity for regional cuisines remain high
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- Figure 16: Attitudes towards regional cuisines, November 2020
- Rising ownership of cooking appliances provides another boost
- Emerging consumption occasions help foreign cuisines enlarge consumer base
- COVID-positive cold chain imports unsettle consumers temporarily
Market Highlights
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- Integrated information channels increase consumer exposure
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- Figure 17: Examples of restaurant recommendations on Douyin
- Figure 18: Example of Li Ziqi’s short videos and product displays on Douyin
- Figure 19: Shots from The Pride of Hunan Cuisine
- Inspiration muse for a wider territory to explore retail possibilities
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- Figure 20: McDonald’s spicy chilli oil ice cream sundae and limited edition menu
- Figure 21: Hot dry noodles from KFC
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- Figure 22: Examples of tea shop brands’ collaborations with regional cuisines
- Figure 23: Examples of ready meals from Guangzhou Restaurant and Sunya
- Innovative sauce and seasoning products elevate self-cooking experience
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- Figure 24: Example of Huoshaoyun’s self-branded sauces
- Figure 25: Examples of top companies’ sukiyaki sauce products
The Consumer – Key Takeaways
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- Landscape has remained still with a few opportunities in different regions
- Drinks to soothe spiciness and greasiness
- Food review sites are most popular while delivery platforms are rising among the young
Adoption of Chinese Cuisines
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- Mainstream cuisines remain largely the same, suggesting differentiation is key for new entrants
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- Figure 26: Adoption of Chinese cuisines, November 2020
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- Figure 27: Top five Chinese cuisines in terms of penetration, 2014-2021
- Certain cuisines are less agreeable in tier one cities
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- Figure 28: Dropout rate of Chinese cuisines, November 2020
- The South vs North difference is still observed
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- Figure 29: Consumers who have eaten and like the six popular Chinese cuisines, by city, November 2020
Adoption of Foreign Cuisines
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- East Asian cuisines continue to secure dominance
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- Figure 30: Adoption of foreign cuisines, November 2020
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- Figure 31: Adoption of foreign cuisines, 2018-21
- Least penetrated cuisines can target unexploited first tier cities to spread their name
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- Figure 32: Adoption of German, Mexican and Spanish cuisines, by tier one city, November 2020
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- Figure 33: Numbers of restaurants of respective cuisines in first tier cities
- Foreign cuisine consumers becoming more mature
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- Figure 34: Dropout rate of foreign cuisines, May 2018 and November 2020
Drinks for Food Pairing
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- Growing health-consciousness is reflected in drink choices
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- Figure 35: Drinks for food pairing, November 2020
- Opportunities to grow wine and beer among women in their 40s
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- Figure 36: Drinks for food pairing – “Alcoholic drinks”, by gender and age, November 2020
- Sweet rice wine has potential to win female diners
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- Figure 37: Examples of sweet rice wine offered at restaurants
Information Channel
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- Heavy reliance on image- and video-rich platforms
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- Figure 38: Information channel, November 2020
- Food delivery platforms are shaping user habits, especially among 18-24s
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- Figure 39: Information channels – “Friends/family” and “food delivery platforms”, by age, November 2020
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- Figure 40: User interface of ele’me
Preference for Cooking Regional Cuisines
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- Interest in cooking is strong but some are seeking shortcuts
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- Figure 41: Preference for home cooking, November 2020
- Consumer preference reflects balance of time and money
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- Figure 42: Preference for home cooking, by monthly personal income and by living situation, November 2020
Attitudes towards Regional Cuisines
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- A strong preference for authentic rather than adapted regional cuisines
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- Figure 43: Attitudes towards regional cuisines, November 2020
- Restaurants to ramp up efforts in retail-isation
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- Figure 44: Attitudes towards regional cuisines, November 2020
Appendix – Methodology and Abbreviations
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- Methodology
- Abbreviations
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